Relentless Pursuit
by Writer-in-Disguise
Summary: Sirius Black's good looks and unruly behavior make him the object of affection for many girls. The only catch is: he doesn't date. Is there any way other than relentless pursuit to get his attention? SBOC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer-**I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. It's property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros.

**Please send some feedback!**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 1-

Platform 9 ¾ bustled with students, old and new. For several students and parents it was a stressful day. It could be their first time boarding the Hogwarts Express or their last. It was neither for me though. I was beginning my sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was nothing new. The vibrant red train was sending out its usual plume of steam and all at once, everyone began to move quicker.

"Would you please hurry?" I asked impatiently, "The train is going to leave without us."

"Oh, hush, Robin," my mum sniffled, giving my brother one last teary hug.

It was my brother's last year at Hogwarts and my mum was getting emotional. John struggled to free himself of mum's tight grip. His eyes were beginning to become moist and I couldn't help but laugh a little bit at him in my head. The two of them acted as though they'd never see each other again.

My younger sister was twice as impatient as I was. She saw a group of her friends pass us and board the train. She pranced around on the balls of her feet, anxious to join them. I locked onto John's arm and started pulling him towards the train.

"Have a good year! Don't get into any trouble and make sure you send an owl home when you get to school!" Mum called after us.

"Yes, mum," we all called back obediently.

"Nervous about getting sorted, John?" I questioned.

"What?" he asked, confused with my question.

"You're acting worse than Clara did when she was in her first year," I commented, causing him to glare at me.

I parted from my siblings quickly to avoid John's response and began looking in all the compartments for Emma, my best friend. Nearly on the other side of the train, I found her sitting quietly, engrossed in a book. I smiled as I lugged my heavy trunk into the compartment.

"Did you miss me?" I joked.

"Dreadfully," Emma responded, "It's been a whole three days since I've seen you."

"Are you ready for a new school year?" I asked while attempting to put my trunk on the rack above me.

"Is that a trick question?" she laughed, putting her book away.

"Emma, I think this year will be our best year yet. I just have a feeling," I said with enthusiasm, still trying to heave my trunk up.

"For Merlin's sake, you're a witch! Use your wand!"

I turned around to find the owner of the voice. My cousin stood by the door of the compartment, peering in. He smirked at me before levitating my trunk onto the rack. I gave him an indignant look.

"I was going to do that, James," I replied huffily.

"How was your summer?" he asked, still smirking.

"Good. How was yours?" I returned politely, "Still being rejected by Lily Evans?"

"Yes, but I'm going to get her this year," he said confidently.

"How do you intend on doing that?" I laughed.

"With this," he answered, pointing proudly to a gleaming Head Boy badge.

"You're Head Boy?" I asked in disbelief.

"Indeed, I am. You just watch, Robin. She'll be swooning in no time," James assured me.

With that last remark, he left us in a hurry to show Lily his badge. Emma rolled her eyes and laughed. She was always amused by James's pursuit of Lily Evans. I can't say that I didn't find it entertaining either. He's become ridiculous over the years with his ideas on winning her over.

"Don't you have to get to the Prefects meeting?" Emma asked.

"Bugger! I do!"

I quickly changed into my school uniform. I was still pulling on my shoes when I walked into the compartment. I quickly spotted a lone Ravenclaw prefect sitting by himself and plopped myself down beside him.

"Where were you at?" Jake asked anxiously.

"Calm down," I scoffed.

I sat through the meeting, throwing out a few of my ideas every now and then. Jake was scribbling notes on everything like his life depended on it. He was obsessed with his goal of getting the position of Head Boy next year. I noticed that the Slytherins acted very indifferent towards Lily. I suppose it irks them that a Muggleborn was made Head Girl.

"I want the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs patrolling the left end of the train and the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws on the right end," Lily instructed, sending everyone out.

I pushed my way through everyone to catch up to James. He was moving quickly and I nearly knocked down a Hufflepuff on the way. His brow was furrowed when I finally caught up to him.

"How's your plan going so far?" I asked.

"She thought I nicked it from Remus," he said dismally.

"Don't worry, James. It's only the beginning of the year," I reminded him.

"I suppose you're right," he sighed, walking away from me.

I slowly followed him, hoping that he would patrol with me so I didn't have to wander around alone. Within a few minutes, a boy with shaggy, black hair strolled up to him. I didn't recognize him at first glance, but once I got a glimpse of his eyes, my throat went dry.

"Did Evans succumb to your charms, Prongs?" he asked smartly.

"No," James muttered.

The conversation continued, but I didn't hear a word of it. I was preoccupied with staring at Sirius Black. I knew that he was James's best friend, but I had never talked to him in my entire life. I vaguely remember having a crush on him in my first year.

I found that I couldn't tear my eyes away. It was like they were stuck to him. Why have I not realized how attractive he is? I've hardly seen him over the past five years, so I guess that's why I forgot about him. He's gotten very handsome. Oh dear, I think he noticed.

"Oh, sorry. Padfoot, this is my cousin, Robin," James said.

"Hello," he greeted casually, sticking out his hand for me to shake.

"Hi," I returned breathily, taking his hand.

I got the classic stomach flutter and tingling when we shook hands. It obviously had no effect on him because he returned to his conversation with James immediately, never sparing me a second glance. I tried staring at my feet until their conversation was over but I felt my eyes wandering in Sirius's direction again. I tried to slip away to get back to my compartment and abandon my Prefect duties.

"Where are you going?" James asked curiously, noticing my secretive escape stance.

"I need to check on Dog," I answered quickly, hurrying away before he could say something else.

"Dog?" I heard Sirius repeat inquisitively.

"Her cat," James clarified.

"She has a cat named…Dog?" Sirius questioned slowly.

Even though I was walking away and they couldn't see my face, I felt it turn pink. My pace began to speed up until I found Emma. I entered the compartment and nearly slammed the door behind me, causing her to look up from her book.

"Do you know Sirius Black?" I asked, sitting down across from her.

"The seventh year in Gryffindor?"

I nodded my head and felt butterflies in my stomach again.

"Yes, of course, he's a fantastic beater," she replied nonchalantly.

"Do you know if he's dating anyone?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Emma's eyes stopped scanning over the words in her book and she slowly looked up at me. I thought that I was caught, but she didn't accuse me of fancying him or anything of the sort.

"He's single, I believe," she answered, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"Single? How can he be single?" I gasped in disbelief.

"Easy," Emma said, "He doesn't date."

"What do you mean, he doesn't date?" I questioned suspiciously.

"Don't you ever listen to the gossip in the common room? Sirius Black doesn't have any interest in girls," she laughed, causing my eyes to widen.

"Is he…you know…gay?" I whispered; dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

"No, he just doesn't have time for silly girls," Emma answered, "Why all the questions about Sirius Black?"

"I was just curious," I lied.

"Robin Willows, look me in the eye and tell me that it really was just pure curiosity," she demanded, locking her eyes on me.

"It was," I choked out, biting my lip to keep from smiling.

"Liar," she declared, closing her book.

"Oh, Emma, you know I can't lie. I just saw him talking with James after the Prefect meeting and he's gotten so handsome," I blurted out.

"Robin, please don't tell me that you intend to pursue him. He refuses to date. He doesn't think that he needs to be spending any of his time on girls. You'll just end up heart-broken," Emma begged.

"Emma, you know me. I don't get flustered around boys and I'm usually confident, but he made me feel like a blithering idiot. There's something about him, probably his good looks, which just made me lose composure. It was exciting. Not every boy makes your stomach do flip flops like that," I said, grinning.

"So you plan to stutter your way into his heart?" she questioned sarcastically.

"I'm sure that the next time I see him, I'll be able to control that and I'll be able to get his attention," I reasoned, looking at her hopefully.

"He doesn't date. Don't do this to yourself," she repeated.

"Stop worrying, it's only a matter of time before he and I go to Hogsmeade together," I joked.

Emma gave me one more doubtful look before returning to her novel. I let myself sink into the seat more. My eyes soon got heavy and I began to drift off to sleep, thoughts of my new conquest swirling around in my mind.

"Robin, wake up, we're here," Emma said, encouraging me to open my eyes.

The two of us wearily gathered our things from the compartment and began to make our way off the train. All the way to the carriages, Dog hissed at everyone passing by. Her cage rattled when a boy with a toad in his hand passed. In my attempt to calm her through the cage, I ended up with a mangled hand.

"Do you mind if we join you?" I asked politely, peering into a carriage with only a couple people in it.

"Not at all," Lily responded happily, "You're a Prefect aren't you?"

"Yes, the sixth year Ravenclaw," I answered, climbing into the carriage with Emma close behind.

"Can you believe that Dumbledore made Potter Head Boy?" she asked in disbelief.

"No, actually," I laughed, "He'll have to get rid of the load of dungbombs I got him for his birthday."

"You got him a birthday present?" Lily questioned.

"Oh, yes, sorry, I guess you didn't know that I'm his cousin," I apologized.

"You're his cousin…and you're normal?" she said dubiously.

"Surprisingly, yes," I responded brightly.

When the carriages came to a halt outside the castle, I hurried to get out first, in hopes of getting a glimpse of Sirius. Emma pushed me forward and we made our way up to Great Hall. I turned around to see if he was behind me, but the only thing I saw were the dots of light coming from the boats carrying the first years.

"Give it up," Emma said impatiently, tugging me forward again.

I grinned at her.

"Never."

**A/N-**How's that for a first chapter? As I was writing a chapter for my other fic, I was viciously attacked by a plot bunny and I started jotting down my ideas and all this just poured out. It's pretty much the opposite of everything else I've written but I decided to take a different view on Sirius's character due to the things I've read about JKR never really stating he dated a lot. **Please review.** I'd really appreciate it, especially with a new fic!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer-**I don't own Harry Potter. I own about negative $10.

**Thanks a lot for the reviews on the last chapter! I really appreciated them!**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 2-

After all the older students were herded into the Great Hall, the first years were ushered in to be sorted. It was like every other year. They were jittery, chattering, and excited. There were a few that were quite green too. All at once, the first years jumped. The hat's song rang out through the Great Hall, with the first years listening intently. You could clearly pick out the Muggleborns. They had a look of alarm on their faces.

As soon as the sorting began, my eyes scanned the hall for Sirius Black. I imagined that he would never look my way so I would be safe to glimpse at him every once in a while. I found him seated with James, a Prefect I knew as Remus Lupin, and another boy I didn't know. Every few minutes, a small wave of chuckles would go between the four of them.

"Emma," I whispered, lightly elbowing her, "Who's that pudgy boy sitting with James and Sirius?"

"Peter Pettigrew," she answered quietly, looking in their direction.

"Has he always been there?" I asked.

"Where? In the Marauders?" Emma said.

"Yes, in the Marauders…Wait, James and his friends are the Marauders?" I whispered in bewilderment.

"Are you sure you go to Hogwarts?" Emma asked gravely.

"Yes, I'm sure," I answered haughtily, "I just thought it was some kind of team or club."

"How is it possible that you don't know that? Do you live under some kind of rock, Robin? James Potter is your cousin! Don't you know anything about him?" she hissed in exasperation.

"Well, er, yes, I know things about him. How was I supposed to know that the lot of them had named themselves 'the Marauders?' I wasn't aware that this was common knowledge. Besides, it's not like he just candidly states that he and his mates made up the Marauders…He's so bizarre. Why would he create a dim name for himself like that? Do you think Sirius is strange as well?" I questioned softly.

"Of course he's strange! They're all strange," Emma said in conclusiveness.

"And misbehaved," I added as an afterthought.

--------------------------------

"Robin, wake up," Emma sang, pulling the covers off my bed.

"You don't have to be so loud," I said, sitting up.

"It's our first day back. You should really get a good start on the day and have breakfast like normal people," she returned, giving me a bright smile.

"You know I don't eat breakfast," I complained, pulling my clothes on.

"You should start though. What better time than the present?" Emma said happily.

"I always seem to forget that you're a morning person," I yawned, walking into the bathroom.

"You could be a morning person too if you wanted!" she called, "I'll be down in the common room when you're ready."

I got ready as quick as possible, knowing that if I wasn't down there soon, Emma would return and chirp about getting breakfast. Walking out of the bathroom, I almost ran into one of my room mates, Cathy.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"It's alright, Robin," she replied genially, "Have a good first day back."

I gave her a small smile and went down to the common room to meet Emma. On our way down to the Great Hall, I glanced over my shoulder quickly to make sure nobody else was around before speaking to Emma.

"When did Cathy start liking me?" I asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Emma laughed, thinking I was joking.

"She didn't snap at me when I ran into her," I said, "But the weirdest thing was when she told me to have a good first day back."

"Maybe she found someone better to despise," she shrugged.

"You know, I never figured it out why that girl disliked me so much," I commented thoughtfully.

"Perhaps it's because during our first year, Dog made a habit of urinating on her bed and you thought it was funny," Emma offered.

"Maybe…"

Emma shrugged her shoulders again. When we arrived in the Great Hall, Emma filled a plate of food and sat it in front of me hopefully. I tried eating bits of it, but I just couldn't stomach it. Food in the morning always made me ill.

"I don't understand it," Emma growled, "You eat twice as much as the average person at every other meal, but you won't eat a bloody thing in the morning."

"I have to go check with John and make sure he sent mum a letter today. You know how she is," I said, ignoring her frustration.

"Fine," she sighed, "But you're eating when you come back."

I laughed at her before walking over to the Gryffindor table. John, Clara, and I were all sorted into different houses. John was put into Gryffindor, Clara in Hufflepuff, and I in Ravenclaw. When I got to the table, I was surprised to see Sirius (along with the other Marauders) sitting next to John.

When I heard their conversation, I wasn't so surprised any more. John plays for the Gryffindor house team along with Sirius Black and James. If you're a bloke and you play quidditch, you get along…Unless you play for or support a different team. Unstable relationship, that is.

"What will Gryffindor's quidditch team do without us next year?" John joked, earning a chuckle from Sirius.

"Did you send mum the letter, John?" I asked abruptly, breaking into the conversation.

"Could you do it, Robin?" he begged, "You know that if I send it, she'll send me a letter back with loads of embarrassing stuff in it."

"I thoroughly enjoyed those letters last year, by the way," Sirius chortled, earning a scowl from John.

"Do you think I want the sappy letter? Make Clara do it!" I argued.

As if on cue, my second year sister appeared at the table, tapping my shoulder.

"Robin, mum packed some of your knickers in my trunk," Clara announced.

"Clara!" I bit out.

"You need to come get them. I don't want to get them mixed up with mine," she continued.

I was mortified to hear the Marauders laughing. I thought I was going to strangle Clara. She never really learned that personal things such as that shouldn't be announced to the entire world. Mum used to think it was _so cute_ when she was a toddler. It's not so cute any more.

"Yeah, Robin, I think mum packed some of your knickers in my trunk too," John added, causing the Marauders to guffaw more.

"Very funny, John," I said sarcastically, "Don't think that just because I'm writing the letter to mum, that _you _won't get a horrendously embarrassing letter back from her."

John's eyes widened while the Marauders continued laughing at my expense. I walked as calmly as possible back to the Ravenclaw table to get my schedule. Once I sat down, my eyes narrowed and I began scribbling a letter to mum. The quill scratched furiously, nearly ripping the parchment.

"What's wrong with you?" Emma asked cautiously.

"My knickers were packed into Clara's trunk," I muttered darkly.

"Oh…What's the big deal?" she questioned.

"She decided to announce that to me while I was in front of Sirius Black," I said bitterly, letting a snide smile slip onto my lips as I wrote the part about John insisting on getting a letter soon.

"Clara does have a rather big gob, doesn't she?" Emma commented, biting back a grin.

"It's not funny, Emma," I said, trying to stop a grin myself.

"Yes, it is," she said decisively, a full-blown smile on her face.

"OK, it's a little funny…even if it was awfully humiliating," I said in resign.

-----------------------

"Where are you going now?" Emma asked on our way out of Potions.

"Well, I need to get that letter sent or my mum will be sending an owl to the Headmaster himself to make sure we got here safely," I replied in a bored tone.

"Good luck," she laughed, turning in the opposite direction towards the Great Hall.

I took a deep breath and headed towards the owlery. As surprising as it is, I am terrified of owls. I hate them. One would think that, being a witch, I would have gotten used to them. I haven't. The way they flap their great wings about makes me nervous. Their general look is nasty as well. Owls just have a look that says 'I want to severely harm you.'

Their beaks and claws are dangerously sharp and could rip your face clean off. Is it really that hard to believe that they intimidate me? The owlery makes me anxious as hell seeing as there's over a hundred owls in there.

I walked into the owlery apprehensively, cringing when an owl flew over my head. I tried to keep my eyes on my feet so I didn't have to look up, but sickening crunches made my eyes dart up. The carcasses of small animals were not comforting in any way. I tried in vain to lure a school owl down to me. It was almost like they were mocking me. They flew over my head and flapped their wings, but refused to come down to me.

One tawny owl, in particular, was taunting me. Every once in a while, she'd come a little closer to me and then fly away. She would land near me again, flap her wings like was she was going to come to me and then go in the other direction. At this point, my fear was being overpowered by frustration.

"Come here, you winged fiend! This bloody letter has to get to my mum," I snapped, causing the aforementioned owl to hoot in what I believe, was amusement, "Don't patronize me, bird!"

"Having trouble getting an owl?" someone said from behind me.

You've got to be kidding me…

My head fought with my face's urge to become blaringly red. Sirius Black stood behind me, an owl on his arm and a wicked smile on his face. I bit my lip to keep my mouth from hanging open. His stormy grey eyes danced with laughter and I couldn't help but feel like an absolute idiot for the second time today.

"Yes, er, I'm not very good with owls," I replied hesitantly.

"I can tell," he said, "Would you like to use my owl?"

"Really? That would be great," I sighed, relief washing over me.

"He should get your letter to its destination fairly quick," Sirius assured me, holding his arm out.

"Thanks a load," I said sincerely, letting the dark owl perch on my arm.

"It's no problem. Anything for James's relations," he called back from his way out of the owlery.

I frowned at his last remark: 'Anything for James's relations.' So he just let me use his owl because James is my cousin? Does it still classify as a favor? Well, yes, it's a favor, but a real favor? Had I not been James's cousin, would he still have let me use the owl? Ah, best not dwell on it.

…

Maybe he doesn't like me. Merlin, I think this boy might really be a challenge.

---------------------

"So…Robin, how's your chase of the infamous Sirius Black going?" Emma asked innocently, sporting a grin that contradicted her tone.

"It's going quite well," I said smugly, "He let me use his owl today."

"Has he shown any interest in you?" she questioned knowingly.

I paused and stared at her. She had a triumphant look in her eyes. She knew bloody well that he hadn't shown an inkling of interest in me. I wasn't about to let her be right about him though.

"Yes, he did, as a matter of fact," I lied, "He actually asked me if I'd like to join him during the next Hogsmeade weekend."

She quirked an eyebrow at me, making me squirm uncomfortably.

"No, he didn't," she said simply.

"He didn't show the slightest interest," I moaned, "How am I ever going to get his attention?"

"Did _you_ show any interest?" Emma asked subjectively.

"Well, not exactly," I answered carefully, causing Emma to roll her eyes, "I don't want to come on too strong and get rejected!"

"So you showed absolutely no inclination that you fancy him?" Emma reiterated.

"Er…" I started.

"You are ridiculous," she cried, "How on earth do you plan to persuade a boy, who doesn't date or show any interest in girls, to fancy you? Robin, if you insist on capturing the attention of Sirius Black, you must take _some _kind of action."

"I thought you were totally against the idea of me going after him," I argued pointedly.

"If you want to do this, you need to do it right," she stated firmly.

"Tell me honestly though…Do you think I can do it?" I questioned sheepishly.

"If anyone can do it, it's you," Emma confirmed, "You're the only girl persistent enough to keep after him."

-----------------------

I finally retrieved my misplaced knickers from Clara to ensure that I would not be publicly notified again that mum packed them in her trunk and I needed to get them before our knickers became mixed up. I did this during my Prefect rounds to make sure that someone, namely Sirius Black, wouldn't catch me walking around the corridors trying to smuggle vibrantly colored knickers in my robes. That would be quite unfortunate.

I managed to stuff them into my pockets. They were peeking out a bit, but it was dark and there wasn't anyone else around so I didn't really mind. Normally everyone is far too tired to be sneaking about the corridors the first day back.

Apparently the Marauders weren't.

I saw four figures sneaking around the corner in front of me, one with particularly messy locks of hair. I was going to let them be until a fellow Prefect walked up behind me. It was Renee Cormer, the seventh year Hufflepuff Prefect. She was, regrettably, a stickler for rules.

"Can you believe them, Robin? They can't even behave for the first night," she clucked, striding towards them.

"Wait, Renee, I'll give them their punishment and send them back to their dorms," I said hastily.

"I'll come along. It'll take more than one Prefect to get their attention. Those boys are so insolent," Renee said tetchily.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I'm sure I can manage them myself," I assured her, trying to walk ahead.

"It's no problem, Robin. You don't have to thank me," she said cheerily.

"No, I--," I stuttered, trying to stop her.

It was too late. They had heard us and stopped in their tracks. I couldn't just run away. I had to continue on. I hung my head as Renee pompously approached them, ready to deal out detentions.

"What do the four of you think you're doing?" she demanded dramatically while flashing her lit wand in their faces, earning snickers from James and Sirius.

"What does it look like were doing? Having a picnic?" Sirius replied sarcastically, blinking from the bright light emitted by her wand.

"Don't get cheeky with me, Black," Renee warned, causing the aforementioned trouble-maker to snort.

"If you think the threat of a detention really intimidates me, you had better think again. I have more detentions under my belt than you could ever imagine in your wildest Prefect dreams," he said snidely, pushing her wand down out of his face which caused Renee to scowl.

I stood pathetically behind the Hufflepuff Prefect, hoping that they hadn't seen me or at least that they didn't recognize me. It was when Renee asked me to back her up and enforce the punishment, that my throat and tongue went bone dry. All at once, I thought my stomach was going to drop to the floor and I was going to melt into a puddle of humiliation.

"Robin," she whispered anxiously.

"I, er…You shouldn't be sneaking out at this time," I said weakly, stepping out from behind Renee and lighting my wand.

"Robin?" James asked in disbelief.

"Um…yes, hello, James. Fancy seeing you here," I said in mock-surprise.

"Don't act so startled, Potter. She's doing her job," Renee said proudly, patting my back.

"If you're going to give us detentions, get on with it," Remus Lupin remarked impatiently.

"I think I speak for both Robin and I when I say that I'm ashamed of the behavior of our Head Boy and fellow Prefect, not to mention Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew," she said boldly.

I couldn't help but grimace at this. It was almost like I had tasted something horrible in my mouth. I think the taste could be identified as shame. I've noticed a certain pattern here with this taste. It's never of my own doing actually. I never get the chance to embarrass myself because it seems like everyone else does it _for_ me. They must think I'm incapable of achieving it on my own.

I could tell that James and Sirius were finding her strict abiding of the rules amusing. Peter Pettigrew was actually listening to her, looking somewhat fearful of the punishment while Remus Lupin look annoyed by her babble. I could understand why. She took it to an extreme.

"Renee, I think I can handle it from here," I said swiftly, "I'll give them the appropriate punishment and send them back to the Gryffindor Tower."

"Are you sure, Robin?" she asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine. You had better get back to patrolling. There could be other lurkers sneaking around," I pointed out.

"You're right. How silly of me!" Renee laughed, finally leaving the corridor.

"Are we getting detention?" Peter spoke up.

"Of course not, Wormtail. Robin will let us off Scot-free," James said offhandedly, "Right?"

"Don't worry, I won't give you lot detention. I'm sorry, James. I tried to stop her, honest! She was just so determined to catch you though," I apologized.

"It's fine. We'll make sure to report a dreadful detention full of slimy animal parts to her," James smirked.

"I'll see you later on then," I said, walking away, "Just do me a favor, guys."

"What?" they called back.

"Don't get caught again," I answered, making them grin.

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**A/N-** I imagine that within a chapter or two, there will be real interaction going on between Robin and Sirius. The first few chapters are just to kind of set everything up. Haha, I think a lot of people found the 'different' personality of Sirius to be odd. That's alright. It makes this story different and refreshing. Once again, oodles and oodles of thanks to the people that reviewed the first chapter! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer-** I don't own anything. It's a sad truth, folks.

**Thank you oodles and oodles for the reviews. They are greatly appreciated.**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 3-

"Emma," I hissed, shaking her awake.

"Go to sleep," she grunted, smacking my hands away.

"Emma, please, it's important," I prodded.

"What could be so dreadfully important at one in the morning?" she grumbled in irritation.

"Dog is gone," I answered anxiously, "She was here when I returned from my Prefect rounds, and now she's gone!"

"You woke me up because you can't find your ruddy cat," Emma said in disbelief.

"She's gone, Emma! Poof! Vanished!" I said miserably.

"Did you check the common room?" she asked.

"I checked the whole bloody tower! You know that Dog is too afraid to even venture outside the dormitory on her own!" I replied despondently.

"We'll look for her in the morning," Emma yawned, snuggling into her sheets.

"No! Do you have any idea what could happen between now and morning to a cat, especially Dog?" I questioned hysterically, "She's a very sensitive animal."

"For the love of Merlin, Robin! Filch's cat wanders around the corridors all the time! Dog will be perfectly fine," she argued.

"What if she wanders into the owlery? I've seen what those horrible beasts can do to poor, unsuspecting animals," I said darkly.

"You're worried about your obese cat getting picked off by an owl?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Dog is not obese! She's…shapely," I said defensively.

"Robin, I refuse to go searching for that _bloody _cat at one in the _bloody_ morning," she hissed angrily.

"May I remind you of last year when I accompanied you in breaking into the library to study before O.W.L. testing," I responded evenly.

"I was nervous," Emma disputed.

I gave her one last meaningful look, let out a great sigh, and returned to my bed. I could hear her tossing and turning in her bed. I smiled to myself. It wouldn't take much longer until she broke.

"Fine," she growled, "We'll go look for that damn cat."

-------------------------------

"Dog," I called softly, padding down the corridor in my slippers.

"I can't believe I'm looking for your stupid cat right now," Emma mumbled, twirling her lit wand.

"Well, who else was going to help me? Cathy? Merlin only knows she hated-," I stopped, letting my mouth hang open.

"What now?" Emma snapped moodily.

"That's why she was happy to see me! That little tart was planning to do my cat in," I cried heatedly.

"You've got to be kidding me, Robin! Cathy was not plotting some kind of diabolical scheme to get rid of your cat," she laughed hollowly.

"You said it yourself earlier! Cathy hates her because Dog urinates on her bed," I pointed out.

"You are ridiculous. Let's just find the cat and go back to the dormitory," she said impatiently.

I glared at Emma and continued calling for my cat. I tried my best to not think about what kind of things Cathy could have done to Dog. The idea seemed completely absurd, but very plausible. I knew that Dog was far too timid to wander off by herself, so it therefore had to be someone else's doing…Someone who greatly disliked my sweet, innocent cat.

"This is ludicrous, Robin. It's just a cat," Emma protested.

"Just a cat? How can you say that? Dog loved you like family," I said hotly.

I didn't have to look at her to tell that Emma rolled her eyes at me. She was obviously cranky. My beloved cat was helplessly lost somewhere in the school and all she could think about was sleeping.

"I should have known in first year that there was something wrong with you. When you started knitting that sweater for your cat, it should have been a clear warning sign," she commented.

"It was winter and she was cold," I bit back.

"Maybe it's for the best that Dog is gone. Dog's happier where she is now, Robin," Emma said calmly.

"Lost inside the harsh, unforgiving corridors of Hogwarts?" I asked cynically, "I think not!"

"No, in the big litter box in the sky," she corrected.

"Dog is not dead," I said firmly, "That wench just wanted to get rid of my precious baby."

"You're sick in the head," Emma muttered, shaking her head.

I continued the search for my missing cat, dragging my best friend along. The corridors were quite dark and Emma was jumpy. She's rather paranoid. In her mind, the Slytherins have her on the top of their hit list. I find this to be very amusing. Sure, she's Muggleborn, but there's loads of Muggleborns here. There's no logical reason for them to seek her out specifically.

"Psst! Shoo!"

I don't think my head had ever moved so fast before in my life. Following the voice, I crept around the corner and flashed my lit wand around the perimeter. It landed on a pudgy boy who was standing in front of a statue of a humpbacked which. A large, lumpy animal stood at his feet, trying desperately to rub on his legs.

"Emma! I found my cat!" I cried happily, rushing towards the boy by the statue.

"That _thing_ is a cat?" he asked in astonishment.

After heaving up my large feline, I poked my wand in his face. I found that the boy standing by the statue was Peter Pettigrew. He seemed somewhat relieved to see me. I suppose that he and the other Marauders were still wandering around the school unchecked.

"Yes, it's Dog," I said, kissing the aforementioned animal on the head.

"I thought you just said it was a cat," Peter said in bewilderment.

"The cat's name is Dog, you dolt," Sirius remarked, stepping out from behind the statue.

I inwardly sighed, letting loose all those happy butterflies in my stomach. I could hardly see him well with my wand pointed in Peter's direction, but he still looked striking. I hardly even acknowledged the fact that he seemed to appear out of nowhere. He could appear out of nowhere _all_ he wanted. It doesn't bother me a bit.

"How'd you know that?" Emma questioned from behind me.

"James told me," he said nonchalantly, "What are the two of you doing out here at this time of night?"

"Searching for that ruddy beast," Emma spat, pointing at Dog.

"Why didn't you just wait until morning?" Sirius asked sardonically.

"Yes, Robin, remind me again why we didn't wait until morning?" Emma reiterated, scowling at me.

"I couldn't leave her all alone, cold, and hungry, aimlessly searching for a way back to the dormitory," I answered protectively.

Sirius's eyebrows darted up so far under his hair that they were lost from view. One side of his mouth curved into a smile and he let out a small snort of laughter.

"I surely won't doubt your blood connection to James now," he commented.

I didn't know what to make of that last bit. He has a way of saying things that you're not sure whether you should take offense to or not. I, of course, will over-analyze every word that comes out his mouth too. It's a dreadful combination, really.

"I, er, thanks?" I said unsurely.

He let out another bark of laughter. I was still confused by his comment. Was he insinuating that James and I are both barmy?

"Don't worry," he said offhandedly, "You're just entertaining, is all."

"Oh," I said, still puzzled.

"We found that blasted cat. Can we go back to the dormitory?" Emma asked grouchily.

I glared at her. She was just huffy because she wanted to go back to sleep and here we were; I was in the perfect place to say _something_ to Sirius. I wanted to mention Hogsmeade, anything! My mouth just couldn't form the words. It felt like someone had snatched the tongue right out of my mouth.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow then," I said, turning around to follow Emma back to the Ravenclaw tower.

"Will you now?" he said interestedly.

"Trust me. I will," I assured him.

----------------------

"Robin, how exactly do you intend on seeing him tomorrow? Merlin knows that you're not going have a casual chat with the boy at lunch," Emma scoffed, fluffing her pillow.

"Because, dear Emma, I'm taking Advanced Charms which puts me in with the seventh year Ravenclaws who coincidentally have the aforementioned class with the Gryffindors," I replied simply.

"How did you get in Advanced Charms?" she hissed, "Is that even possible?"

"Remember that 'rock' I was living under? That got me into Advanced Charms," I said arrogantly, "Get some sleep, Emma. We have a new day ahead of us."

"Bugger off, will you?" Emma muttered tiredly.

I smiled to myself. I was already excited for the day ahead of me. All of my hard work this past summer was about to pay off tenfold of what I expected it to. As lame as it sounds, I couldn't wait to stare at the back of his head the following day.

---------------------------

"What are you doing here?" James questioned immediately.

"Attending class," I replied smugly, taking the seat beside him which had been strategically left empty in hopes that Lily Evans would sit in it.

"Robin, this class is for the seventh years, not for kiddies, such as you," he said sharply, looking nervous as the aforementioned girl entered the room.

"My parents got me special permission from Dumbledore to take an Advanced Charms class this year so I could have more room on my schedule next year," I replied nonchalantly.

"Must you be so clingy?" James grumbled, glaring at me and the seat I was sitting in next to him

"Don't be angry just because I took your beloved's seat," I snapped.

"Go take that seat next to Sirius," James pleaded, "Robin, this could be the last opportunity for Lily to fall in love with me."

I gave James a look of pure pity. His request was exceedingly lame but he was a hopeless case. Lily was moving towards the seat next to Sirius, seeing as it was the only one left, and James looked anxious. My mouth had already gone dry just because of the insinuation that I should sit next to Sirius Black. The words my cousin had said only seconds before ran through my head and I couldn't help what I did next. I _really_ wish I could have.

"Fine," I spat.

In a terribly failed attempt to be dramatic and shove my chair backwards, I managed to somehow do a strange arm wind-milling stumble into the middle of the classroom and after regaining my balance, sprint towards the desk where Sirius was sitting. Lily was about ready to sit in the chair when I dove into it, landing on my stomach with my face almost directly in Sirius Black's crotch and Lily landing smack on my back as if I was some kind of elaborate seat cushion.

"What the bloody hell…" Sirius grunted.

"Sorry," I mumbled to his groin.

Lily hopped up off my back as if she had been shocked and turned red, scurrying to the seat next to James to avoid the attention of the entire class. They hardly noticed her as I tried to lift myself off the chair and get my face out of Sirius Black's nether regions. I'm sure that I've really made a charming impression on him.

I once again apologized to Sirius. My heart raced and my face was blazing a healthy tomato-like red as he gave me a highly affronted and wild eyed look. He cleared his throat and scooted his chair in closer to the desk and turned away from me. I let out a shaky sigh and stared at the back of his head briefly before giving my attention the squeaky-voiced Professor Flitwick.

--------------

"How did your Advanced Charms class go today?" Emma asked sourly during lunch.

"Fantastically excluding the fact that when I did a flying dive into a chair, my face landed in Sirius Black's crotch," I said exuberantly with a tinge of bitterness.

"Hah! I thought my Charms class was awful just because Cathy complained about Dog using her bed for a litter box but your class turned out to be far more entertaining," she said happily, taking a crunching bite into an apple.

"Honestly, what else could possibly happen to make me more undesirable to that boy?" I sighed dejectedly.

"Loads more, I'm certain," Emma replied, obviously not recognizing my statement to be a rhetorical question.

"Shut up, Emma."

And so began my venture to win the heart of a boy who thought I was a complete idiot.

----------------------------------

**A/N-** Thank you so much for reading this. I am so very very sorry for the extreme gap between updates. I'm not going to moan about how horrible the past few months were for very long but it was a really difficult period. In short, I'm no longer seeing one of my parents. Thanks to anyone who helped me during the previous months. I truly do apologize for not updating in so long. I haven't been able to write a damn thing. Please don't send me a sympathy review. I'm over it, hence the new chapter. I'm still bitter about it though and this is the last you'll hear of it because I felt that I needed to explain my absence. I would really appreciate reviews. And as a last note: "Which one?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer-**It's a real shame that I don't own a darn thing.

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! **

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 4-

"What are you doing?" Emma said in exasperation.

She gave me an impatient look as if I were a young child who insisted upon getting something which had been forbidden. Although the corridor was dark, I could see the impatience in her face mixed with curiosity. Even though she tried to disguise it, Emma was nearly as nosy as I was.

"Shhhh!" I hissed.

My friend raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm being stealthy," I whispered.

Emma continued to give me a completely puzzled look that made me feel like I had lost my marbles. She opened her mouth to speak but my hand covered her gob before she could get a single syllable out.

"He's a creature of habit, you see," I said quietly, pointing a finger in the direction of a dashing young lad, "He has an odd fascination with that parchment. He stares at it quite frequently. I haven't got close enough to thoroughly examine it, but it must be something of importance."

"Oh dear Merlin, you're stalking him now?" Emma groaned despairingly.

"No. Not stalking," I corrected, tapping my nose, "We don't use the term 'stalking.' Stalking makes it seem creepy. I am simply getting to know Sirius without him knowing that I'm getting to know him. You see, Emma, this way 'knowing', or lack thereof, is much safer than actually conversing with him because now I have no possible way of making myself look like a fool."

"Unless he finds you sneaking around the corridors after him," she pointed out happily, "That would really scare him off. And just wondering, but why exactly can't you just get to know him like a normal person instead of following around in secret?"

"Because," I said slowly, "I've been trying to talk to him for the past twelve days and he hardly even acknowledges me. The most I've gotten from him in response is a grunt."

"I warned you before you even started this wild goose chase, Robin. Sirius Black has no interest in dating," she sighed.

"Stop being so negative." I drawled, "Would it kill you to give me a little support? You know, like normal friends. Maybe a 'don't worry, Robin, he'll succumb to your beauty and you'll fall in love then live happily ever after.' It doesn't have to be realistic. A little positivity would be nice."

"Positivity isn't a word," she mumbled.

"Oh, shut up."

Emma gave me an offended look and exhaled indignantly in the noisiest manner possible.

I took a few short steps forward. Sirius was staring intently at the aforementioned parchment, every few minutes furrowing his brow in concentration. I carefully lifted myself up on my toes, knowing full well that it wouldn't help much. I saw moving dots and a jolt of excitement surged through my stomach and made me move closer. Emma noticed my stance and followed suit. We both began to edge closer, being very secretive all the while.

"What is that?" she muttered, inching closer.

"Look at the way the dots are moving," I whispered, "They're all labeled. What do you think they are?"

"The dots aren't the only things labeled. It looks like a map of Hogwarts, Robin. Do you see that patch right there? It's the Ravenclaw tower," Emma said softly.

We both kept slowly getting closer, eager to see what it was on the parchment that so frequently held the attention of Sirius Black.

"What are you doing?" James asked sharply from behind, startling both of us.

I let out an unintentional yelp and jumped, knocking into Emma and causing us both to fall to the ground, ultimately making me look extremely stupid which had been the very thing I had been trying to avoid. I hurriedly yanked myself off the ground, pulling my friend up by the hand. I tried to look innocent as my cousin gave me a suspicious stare.

"What am _I_ doing?" I said uneasily, "I was taking a walk with Emma, Mr. Head Boy. No need to be so wary."

"Hah!"

I spun around and found myself face to face with the stormy eyed Sirius Black. Instead of being worried about the fact that he was giving me a completely distrustful stare, I was too preoccupied with the way his hair almost perfectly fell across his forehead with an unintentional elegance. My mouth, instead of spitting out words, just opened and closed dully like a fish out of water.

James arched an eyebrow at his friend, urging him to elaborate. So Sirius took a step back from me, neatly rolling up his piece of parchment and clearing his throat as if he were about to give a grand speech. Then, with unbelievable confidence and arrogance he spoke the words that triggered a series of events that would mark both of our lives with both pleasant and unpleasant memories, disagreements and agreements, and the most prominent of elements being shame and embarrassment coming from each of us through the duration.

"Robin has been stalking me all day like some sort of barmy predator," Sirius proclaimed harshly.

"I've done no such thing!" I argued.

"I've been watching you all day! Has your little Prefect friend ordered you to tail me like some kind of criminal just because I stunk up her common room with dung bombs?" he questioned accusingly.

"I am not following you because you're a prankster," I started heatedly.

"Oh, really, then I suppose you just like me so very much that you're spying on me," Sirius spat sarcastically.

Sirius gave me a look as if daring me to go against his accusations. It excited and infuriated me at the same time. I found myself at a loss for words though. My face began to turn pink at the truth of his sarcastic words. I valiantly fought away the color and opened my mouth to start a rebuttal but James intervened.

"Bloody hell, Padfoot!" James said angrily, "Back off of her, mate. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't appreciate snitches," Sirius said bitterly.

"I told you, I'm not following you around anticipating that you're going to misbehave," I shot back just as bitterly.

"Then why are you trailing me, Robin?" he asked snidely.

I bit my lip and tried to smother the butterflies raging in my stomach. His stare felt so intense and heavy. It was slightly disconcerting. I tried to cough up some words; an excuse, anything. My mind was a blank slate and my ability to speak had been rendered completely useless by the boy in front of me.

"She just wanted to try to get to know you," Emma burst out, immediately turning red as the attention was put on her.

"Why? Does she fancy me? Is that it?" Sirius mocked, earning an unkind elbow from James.

"Stop being an arse, Sirius," James growled.

Sirius took a step closer to Emma, causing her to gulp uncomfortably. His grey eyes seemed to probe her thoughts and sear through her. She looked frightened. Maybe I should have been too. I wasn't though. In some weird way I trusted Sirius and James both; Sirius to have purpose and James to keep control. Even though I had no understanding of these thoughts or feelings, I didn't doubt them.

"Remember what happened last time something like this started?" Sirius asked.

"Padfoot, this is nothing like that. Snape had crueler intentions," James insisted.

Sirius gave James a very doubtful look but his friend's steady eyes assured Sirius that we were nothing to worry about and the previously stated words seemed to ooze through his mind and calm him. It was as if someone had just doused a blazing fire with water and it sizzled to a defeat. He ran a hand through his hair before turning a tinge of pink. His hand continued its trail to run over his face and cover his eyes as he let out a sigh.

"Listen, I have to go. I'm really sorry if I upset you," Sirius said shortly, striding away tersely.

I let out a tense breath which I hadn't even noticed I was holding and glanced at Emma who looked borderline faint. James stared stonily down the corridor his friend's receding shadow turned down.

"Robin, I'm really sorry about that. You have to understand that Sirius is going through a lot right now and the stress is just getting to him. He really didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I know him. Sirius wouldn't intentionally do that. His family is just…" James trailed off.

"You don't have to make excuses for him, James," I said quietly.

"It's just that—well, last year Snape was sticking his slimy nose where it didn't belong and some bad things happened," he continued.

"James," I repeated, getting his attention, "I'm not upset. I trust you. Even though I don't know Sirius like you do, I believe you when say there was more to his outburst. It's fine."

My cousin gave me one last silent apology and turned down the corridor in which his friend had gone down only minutes before. I stared at his shrinking shadow and turned to Emma once again. It was a quiet walk back to Ravenclaw Tower.

---------------------------------

"What do you think happened?" I asked quietly.

Emma turned her head towards me briefly to give me a scrutinizing stare and then returned to stare at her blank parchment. Her brows furrowed and she lightly flicked her inkwell with her new quill before letting out a sigh.

"I really don't know, Robin," Emma responded, letting her shoulders slump forward.

"He was so upset about it," I murmured pensively.

Emma glanced up at me again before staring hopelessly at her parchment again. With a disgruntled growl, she shoved it to the side and gave me her full attention. She had apparently decided that her curiosity was going to get the best of her and the essay was clearly a lost cause.

"Maybe whatever happened with Snape was really bad," Emma suggested.

"Well, obviously, Emma," I said impatiently, "Sirius wouldn't have been so outraged if it was something silly."

"Perhaps it's better if we don't poke around the matter too much," she said.

"I suppose you're right," I agreed dejectedly.

I couldn't let the matter go though. I wanted to know why Sirius had been so furious that I had been following him and what that Snape character had to do with it all. Maybe it was just my horrible nosy nature rearing its ugly head or maybe I felt genuine concern for the boy I fancied but didn't know a thing about. Today had revealed a lot; including the fact that Sirius's life wasn't nearly as glamorous as I had imagined. There was more.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?" Emma questioned knowingly.

"Er…I—uh, maybe?" I offered.

"You're going to get yourself into a heap of trouble chasing after this boy," she said matter-of-factly and then adding, "Oh, and you're late for your Prefect rounds, Robin."

I jumped out of my seat and stumbled towards the portrait hole. I had knocked over someone's game of Exploding Snap and they muttered nasty comments under the breath at me as tiny snaps shot off in all directions.

"Sorry, Cathy," I hastily apologized, quickly making a mental note to secure Dog's location when I returned. She's a conniving, cat abusing witch and nobody is going to tell me any different.

As I added my feline hating room mate to the list of concerns in my mind, I laughed to myself hollowly. I knew already that I was in for a good ride the next few months with this boy. Merlin knows that it doesn't make matters any better that my infuriating nosiness was going to get the best of me and that I'd be in dandy mess with Mr. Sirius Black. I don't even want to think about the numerous and disastrous possible ways of making this worse. I should really stop this before I get in too deep.

But I don't want to…

----------------------

**A/N- **I'm sorry that this got posted a lot later than I expected. I got caught up in all the Harry Potter madness. I've been gone nearly every single night this week whether it be a party or cloak sewing (yes, I'm that big a dork that I made a cloak for the movie & book). Every other night I was just completely exhausted. I apologize that this wasn't longer but my hands are extremely stiff. I had a fight with the spiked side of a computer chair mat. Needless to say, the mat won. I wanted to get this posted before the movie though. Yeah, I'm going to _bawl_ when Sirius goes through that bawl. I'm not sure when the next chapter is going to be up; hopefully soon. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer-**Wow, I'm getting really sick of saying that I don't own Harry Potter. But just for the record, I don't.

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 5-

Patrolling the corridors of Hogwarts with Jake Addams was dull as usual. Normally my fellow Ravenclaw Prefect ditches me to patrol by himself, hoping to take all the glory if he catches a poor first year out of bed after curfew. I'm not quite sure what's wrong with him…

He began to click his tongue on the roof of his mouth. I could tell he was getting twitchy. He kept anxiously glancing at me, just waiting for an invitation to speak. I tried to ignore his little antics for a while but it got too bothersome.

"Did you have something to say, Jake?" I asked dully.

"Oh—um, yes, I did, actually," he responded cheerily, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"Well, go ahead," I said, waiting for what I was sure was going to be a statement of less than monumental proportions.

"Robin, you _could_ be Head Girl next year. If you clean up your act and start taking this seriously, you have a good shot," Jake announced, looking over at me.

I choked on air.

_Clean up my act_? What is there to clean up? I wasn't aware that my act was bad.

"Clean up my act?" I repeated dubiously.

He nodded his head and turned straight ahead.

This boy makes me clench my teeth in the most uncomfortable way. He's infuriating; not in the same way as anyone else I know though. He is one of those people that you would really like to be nice to, but they make it bloody impossible. Every time I speak to him, he insists on telling me what he is doing to secure his place as Head Boy next year.

"You don't take pride in your position as a Prefect, Robin," Jake continued in a sympathetic manner, "You could be bettering your school environment with the opportunity that Professor Dumbledore has set in front of you, but yet, you treat it like a chore you don't want to do."

"It _is_ a chore and I _don't_ want to do it," I said, grinding my teeth together.

"That's exactly the type of outlook I'm talking about, Robin," he clucked sadly.

I narrowed my eyes at the ground and bit my tongue. He was really beginning to push my buttons. Every word that came out of his mouth sounded like he was patronizing me and treating me like I was too stupid to understand the concept. Jake is so fixated on getting the position of Head Boy that he doesn't realize that nobody is really fighting him for it. Nobody cares as much as him. He also hasn't seemed to catch on that other people don't idolize him. The sad thing is that I don't know what he is going to with his life if he does get to be Head Boy. The boy has no other goal in life.

"Jake, this chat has been enlightening and all, but I think that I'll have to catch up with you tomorrow," I said sardonically.

Before he could register the meaning of my words, I made a sharp turn and trotted down a corridor by myself. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Well done, Robin," I congratulated myself.

"Well done, what?" someone asked.

My heart raced excitedly, hoping that maybe it was Sirius Black. I was disappointed but happy nonetheless to see my cousin appear at my side.

"Oh, it's nothing," I said nonchalantly, "I just got away from Jake Addams."

"Ah, that little wanker," James nodded knowingly, "I swear I'm going to hex him into the next century if he asks me one more time what it's like to be Head Boy."

"Are you patrolling tonight as well?" I sighed.

"Er…kind of," he said.

"James…could I ask you what it was that happened with Snape?" I questioned hesitantly.

"It's not really my secret to tell," he replied immediately, giving me a small smile. He must have known that I was going to ask.

"Oh…" I said, looking at the ground, "Is Sirius upset with me?"

"No, no, of course not. He feels awful about losing his temper with you though," James said, nudging my arm, "He was just trying to protect a friend, you know."

I nodded my head and stuck a fingernail in my mouth to chew.

"That's really unpleasant," he commented, giving me a distasteful stare.

"Oh shut up. You're just weird. I don't think I've ever met anyone that _doesn't_ bite their nails," I retorted.

"Not everyone does that. I am certainly not weird. Besides, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? You're the oddball, Robin," he teased, "_Everyone_ in our family has dark hair except you."

"My blonde hair makes me unique and sets me apart," I said arrogantly, twirling a lock of hair around my finger proudly.

We continued our path down the corridor in a comfortable silence. I had been internally debating on whether or not I should bring up Sirius again or if it would be a little fishy. I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea. I didn't want to press the matter too much.

Well, actually, I did want to…quite badly. It just wouldn't be polite. Then again, since when am I polite with James?

Before I could open my mouth to bring the Snape thing up again, I heard someone's shoes clomping at a run behind us. James and I both turned around to see who it was. With both of our wands lit, the dim outline of Peter Pettigrew and his overly large shoes appeared.

"What happened to your shoes, Wormtail?" James questioned, staring at his friends feet which were swimming in shoes that looked like they were three sizes too big.

"A couple clever firsties set them on fire when they were trying to practice a charm. My toes got quite burnt. I actually had to go down to the hospital wing and get Madam Pomfrey to fix them up for me. My feet started sprouting this awful, painful boils and she said that she had never seen—"

"Wormtail," James cut him off impatiently, "I just asked what happened to your shoes. I didn't need all the details; we don't have time for details. A simple reply would have sufficed."

I gave my cousin a questioning look. I was really quite lost. I had absolutely no idea why he had such strange names for his friends or why nearly half the time I'm ever around him during school that he insists on acting as though everything is some covert mission.

"Oh…" Peter said quietly, "My shoes got set on fire and I borrowed a pair from Sirius."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, mate," James sighed at his embarrassed friend, "I'm a little anxious for the news."

"She has just taken him down," Peter said smugly, happy to be the messenger.

"Is Padfoot ready?" he asked secretively.

"He's waiting at the Great Hall under the invis—"

"Shh!" James hissed, "Robin is right here."

"What's he waiting under?" I asked bewilderedly.

"I'm sorry, Robin. If I told you, I would have to kill you," he said seriously.

I rolled my eyes.

"What? Is this some kind of grand secret?" I said sarcastically.

"Yes, actually," he responded, "We have to go. I'll see you around, Robin."

And with that, my cousin and his friend were off. They ran down the corridor in a hurry, their robes swirling around their ankles. Even when they were far out of view, I could still hear Peter's shoes smacking obnoxiously against the hard floor.

--------------------------------------

"What are you doing?" Emma asked me at breakfast, a mouthful of muffin hanging wide open.

"Breaking all of my quills so I can ask Sirius Black for one in Charms," I replied smartly, obliterating my last quill.

She stared blankly at me.

"You could have just left them in the dormitory and told him that you didn't have one," she said, giving my unrecognizable remnants of quills a sad look.

My mouth dropped open a little and I looked in horror at all of my destroyed quills.

"Oh, Merlin," I whispered anxiously.

Emma shook her head at me and began to read the Daily Prophet.

"ARGH! They won't repair! Emma, help!" I whimpered desperately.

I continued to wave my wand around and spit spells out. It did nothing. Little pieces of my quill still remained scattered in front of me. I was now quill-less.

"I don't know what you expect me to do about it," Emma scoffed, flipping the page of newspaper.

"Why would I do something so _stupid_?" I muttered to myself.

"You're a hopeless case, you know," she commented, not even bothering to look at me.

I let out an indignant sigh and put my cheek on my palm, still giving the broken quills a pathetic stare. I have no idea why I didn't just say I forgot one and then ask him to borrow a quill. I was so thrilled with my brilliant plan that I immediately started snapping them. I suppose I should have thought this through more.

-----------------------------------

It was my moment of glory, my time to shine, my golden opportunity; it was Charms class. I sat next to Sirius Black who was completely ignoring my presence, as per usual. Today he was having a chat with Frank Longbottom. Sirius does chat quite well…

The perfect time had not yet presented itself so I waited until class had started to ask. Professor Flitwick hurriedly gave out instructions so we could begin, but I hardly heard a word he said. My palms began to sweat and clam up at the mere idea of speaking to Sirius again for the first time in three days. I was a little on the nervous side. I felt completely ridiculous but had to remind myself that this was all in the big picture. It was simple things that were going to help me achieve my goal of dating Sirius Black.

I choked down the knot in my throat and took the plunge.

"Er…Sirius, I was, erm, wondering if I might be able to borrow a quill from you? I seemed to have misplaced mine."

He stopped mid-wand-wave and looked at me.

"We're not taking notes today," he pointed out, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh—I," I stammered, "Nevermind."

I could feel my face beginning to flare red. I felt like a complete idiot. I was trying my best to keep my cool. It wasn't working…at all. My heart was thumping so loud in my chest that I could have sworn that whole class could hear it.

I kept my eyes locked on my desk, not even chancing to look in his general direction. I heard him rustling around in his bag. When a quill was place in front of me, I thought for sure that I was going to melt into a puddle. If it was possible, I turned an even deeper shade of red. I think I was border lining a shade of purple by this time.

"Take it," Sirius said, "You're bound to need it sometime today."

I nodded, all the while desperately trying to keep my hair in front of my face. I muttered an almost inaudible thanks to him and picked it up. Oh, Merlin.

"Robin, are you alright?" Lily Evans asked me.

My eyes shot up and I saw the Head Girl standing right in front of me. She looked very puzzled and a little worried. I think I might just explode from embarrassment.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. I'm just a bit warm," I lied weakly.

"What did you do to her, Sirius?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" Sirius replied honestly.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're as red as a tomato," she commented, kneeling down to get a better look at my fluorescently red face.

Curse this fair complexion!

"Merlin! You _are_ red!" Sirius exclaimed, finally seeing my face.

"I'm just a little warm is all," I said frantically.

"Maybe she has a fever," Sirius offered.

"You don't get _that _flushed from a fever, you dolt," Lily replied impatiently.

"It's nothing really," I said uneasily.

"Bloody hell, Robin!" shouted James, "Why are you blushing so much?"

I honestly thought that I was going to die from sheer humiliation when I heard his voice boom across the classroom, projecting it so loud that it drew everyone's attention to my heat-radiating face.

Then a look of comprehension dawned on Sirius and Lily's faces. I slowly shrunk down in my seat and wished that I would just disappear. I would like to say that the class ended right then at that extremely convenient moment. But it didn't. I still had nearly thirty minutes in this awkward position.

"Sorry," Lily apologized quietly, returning to her seat.

"Just a bit warm," I muttered, sliding down in my chair more.

I don't know who looked more uncomfortable; Sirius or me. He shifted in his seat and returned to practicing the assigned charm. I tried to do the same but I was horridly distracted.

"It happens to the best of us," Sirius assured me after a long silence.

"I was just a bit warm," I said pathetically, letting my head hit the desk with a thump.

-----------------------------------------------

After dinner that night, I returned to my dorm. I was eager to do my homework assignments just because I would be using a quill that I borrowed from Sirius.

Is it strange that I want to sniff it? Perhaps I just have a strange sniffing fetish. I do that quite a lot. It used to scare my mother when I would take long whiffs of the fresh laundry amongst other things. She always thought I was a bit off-color though. Dad always thought I was fairly normal though. Then again, this is the same man that refuses to wear anything on his feet except white tube socks with a thick navy ring around the top and brown casual shoes.

I blame my parents for my awkwardness in society.

"Are you smelling that quill?" Cathy asked in shock.

"…No."

She gave me a disgusted look and walked into the loo. I gave her a nasty look and, under my breath, muttered, "Cat abuser."

"So, Robin, how did your plan work today?" Emma asked as she walked into the dormitory.

"All hail Sirius Black's quill," I said happily, holding the aforementioned object in the air above my head.

"Nice," she laughed, sitting down at the end of my bed.

"I imagine that we'll be planning the wedding any day now," I said cheerfully.

"You're so odd," Emma commented, "Speaking of odd, where's Dog at?"

I should have taken offense to that comment because my cat was _not _odd but I was too worried about her location. It was true. I hadn't seen my cat…All the more evidence to support my theory that Cathy is a cat abuser!

"Alas! The notorious cat abuser has struck again! We must rescue Dog!" I shouted dramatically.

"Robin, we've been over this before. Your obese cat is not in any danger inside the walls of Hogwarts," she sighed impatiently.

There was a long silence before I spoke again.

"You disappoint me," I told her.

"Because I won't accompany you on another one of your barmy cat searches?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes," I answered pointedly, "If you need me, I'll be wandering around the corridors of Hogwarts all by myself, lonely, searching for my lost kitten."

Emma rolled her eyes at me.

"One, Dog is not a kitten. You've had her since first year. Two, you walk around the corridors all the time by yourself to do patrols. And three, I am not going to be guilted into searching for that bloody cat _again_," Emma said firmly.

----------------------------------------

"Have you seen a large, orange cat?" Emma asked a first year Hufflepuff dully.

The boy shook his head and walked away. My friend turned to me and glared.

"I cannot believe I'm doing this…_again_," she said sourly.

"Imagine how much better you'll feel when Dog is safely back in the dormitory with us," I replied, sticking another sign on the wall with Dog's picture on it.

After nearly two hours of searching, we had yet to find my cat. I was getting worried. It was possible that she might have gotten outside…and then probably cooked alive and eaten by some crazy centaurs or something along those morbid lines.

"What are you doing?" John hissed, pointing at a poster.

"Dog is lost," I said simply, handing him some posters, "Here, put these in your common room."

"Robin, are you sick in the head? It's a cat. Actually, Dog is like a super cat! That cat weighs more than our house elf!" he said wildly.

"All the more for those centaurs to feast on!" I declared.

John blinked at me. After getting over the initial shock of my statement, he narrowed his eyes at me and ripped down the poster I had just put up.

"What are you talking about?" John questioned sharply, shaking his head.

"I'm telling you, she is trying to do my cat in," I started.

"Oh, please, Robin, Cathy is not trying to get rid of Dog," John snapped.

"Just put them in your common room," I fired back.

"I am not putting these ridiculous posters in my common room! I don't want everyone to see these barmy posters that my nutter of a sister is sticking everywhere through the school!" he bellowed, shoving the posters back into my hands.

"I am not a nutter!" I argued.

"You knit bloody jumpers for that cat!" John snarled.

Emma put her finger in the air and opened her mouth to add something to the matter, but I swatted her hand and glared at her. She smiled sheepishly and bit her lip, slowly lowering her hand back to her side.

"Just do it, you great prat," I spat, thrusting the posters into his hands once again.

I grabbed Emma by the arm and pulled her away. I wasn't about to continue this row with my brother in the middle of the corridor. Even though Clara is obnoxious, at least she listens. Sometimes I think John might secretly be a girl. He gets so moody.

"ROBIN! DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME!"

-------------------------------------------------

The next morning didn't seem to bode well. Nobody had responded to my posters. I'm beginning to wonder if they even saw them at all. I was quite disgruntled. I was Dog-less. I had yet to start a morning at Hogwarts without her furry presence weaving around my legs as I tried to put on my clothes.

"What will I ever do without my precious Dog?" I asked Emma woefully.

"She'll turn up," she said earnestly, "Don't worry about it."

I sighed and glared at Cathy who was sitting down the table a few seats away from me.

_Cat abuser…_

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**A/N-** And just for my precious Ginge, I posted this new chapter. I was going to wait to post it, but I obviously didn't. Loads of lurkers last time around. I will find you. ; ) Anyway, **please review**. I'd appreciate it. Is anyone else ready to wet themselves because they're so excited for Deathly Hallows?


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer-**Hi, I'm a fan fiction writer with absolutely no claim on Harry Potter. That belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. It's tragic. I know. You shouldn't lose any sleep over it though.

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are ****amazing****! I can't express my gratitude.**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 6-

I was clearly in mourning and all Emma could talk about was the bloody assignment in Transfiguration. She had been caring for about five minutes but apparently that seemed to be enough time for grieving according to her. Sometimes I wonder if she has a soul…

"I believe _this_ belongs to you," a voice said from behind me.

To my surprise, a large orange cat was dropped down onto the table in front of me. I was thrilled and gathered the irritated looking feline into my arms, a deep guttural growl sounding from her throat.

"DOG! You're back!" I exclaimed.

"She was living under Peter's bed, living off of some old Bertie Bott's," Sirius said with slight distaste, "We never would have known she was there if Remus hadn't been sneezing so much."

I stared at him in disbelief. Sirius Black had been the one to find my cat. She had managed to worm her way into the Gryffindor tower, and the seventh year boy's dormitory no less! I wanted to thank him but found myself tongue tied. My stomach was looping and flopping around and all I could do was stare blankly at him.

"Thanks," I choked out hurriedly, my face tinged pink already.

"You're welcome," he said coolly, ruffling the cat's fur affectionately and earning a hiss from the aforementioned animal, "Dog's an---er, amazing cat."

"She's not that great when you have to have ruddy hunts for her every week," Emma grumbled under her breath.

I gave her a swift elbow in the side, causing scrambled eggs to spray out from her mouth.

"Oh," Sirius said awkwardly, shifting his feet, "If you ever need any help finding her again, don't hesitate to ask. I'm pretty good…at finding lost cats?"

He ended his last statement unsurely. I gave him an odd look and he nodded his head curtly before joining his friends at the Gryffindor table. I nodded in return and gave a small smile.

I stared longingly after him. Yes, I stared _longingly_. Not only is Sirius Black very fit, but he has a soft side for animals. Dog, in particular.

I sighed dramatically.

"Have I mentioned in the last twenty four hours that you are completely hopeless?" Emma asked dryly, folding up her newspaper.

"Emma, he likes Dog. He's perfect," I replied absentmindedly.

"You're not right," she stated sadly, shaking her head.

--------------------------------------

"Psst."

"Who's there?" James demanded haughtily, lighting his wand.

"It's just me," I answered quickly, fumbling for my own wand.

"How do I know you're not an imposter?" he asked cautiously.

"How many other people ambush you in the corridors on a regular basis to chat?" I said impatiently.

No response.

"Who on earth would want to impersonate me?" I hissed, gripping the handle of my wand and lighting it.

"You're a prefect and my cousin. Say something only the real Robin Willows would know," James insisted.

I rolled my eyes at him and he narrowed his eyes.

"You've tried to teach me to fly a broomstick every year since you became a Chaser on the Gryffindor house team and you gave up after last year's holiday break because I got scared and let go. You and I both spent New Year's Eve in St. Mungo's getting bones mended," I replied.

"Oh, alright, it is you, Robin. Sorry about that," James said happily, "Most of Slytherin's quidditch team just got detention for stealing some of Slughorn's Polyjuice Potion. They're trying to sabotage Gryffindor's quidditch team before the match next week. I've already found two Lily Evans imposters trying to weasel information out of me. I suppose being the captain makes me a major target."

"Why did they think to use Lily Evans and not Sirius or Remus?" I questioned.

"Sirius and Remus don't normally try to seduce me," he shuddered and grimaced, walking ahead of me.

"What—"

"Don't ask. I'd rather not talk about it," James said darkly, "I'm trying to repress those memories for the rest of my life."

I laughed at him. Apparently he was being serious because his face remained expressionless and he stared harshly at me. I quickly turned my laugh into a throat-clearing cough. I too shuddered when I used my imagination to guess what had happened to James and imposter Lily Evans. I jogged to catch up to him, having stopped in my tracks to picture strange exchanges between James and the Slytherin.

"Well, er, this is uncomfortable. Let's change the subject," I remarked, swinging my arms, "So, I heard my cat was hiding out in your dormitory."

"Yes," James responded casually, "Remus was having a nasty sneezing fit. It wasn't until Peter reached his arm under the bed to look for some trousers did we find Dog. The bloody cat nearly tore his arm off. For such an obese cat, she really does have agility. After we detached her from the poor bloke, she climbed up the hangings around the bed faster than you can even imagine."

"She's not obese," I snapped with irritation, "Why does everyone say that? She's curvaceous."

"Robin, _curvaceous_ felines do not destroy the hangings around beds. Dog was hardly on top of them for ten seconds before they ripped and sent her fat, furry arse back to the ground," he countered evenly.

"She's not fat," I muttered quietly.

"Sirius insisted on bringing her back to you though," James commented.

My stomach bubbled and I tried to hide my grin. I think that my plan must finally be working. Ha! He has been enchanted by my charms and good looks! I knew it was only a matter of time.

"He still feels awful about being so rude to you. He's been trying to make it up to you any way he can," he continued.

It was like someone took a pin and jabbed my balloon of joy. In a loud internal _POP_ my hopes were crushed. Sirius thinks that I think he is a jerk and is just trying to be nice. Here we go with the 'is it just because I'm James's cousin?' thing again.

Maybe he thinks I'm hideous and feels bad for me…

Bugger. Why don't brains have off switches?

"Just curious, James," I said, trying to sound cool and casual (and failing miserably), "But do you know who Sirius fancies? Not that I want to know or anything. Well, I mean, I want to know. I just asked you. So obviously, I want to know. But I don't _want_ to know, I mean, if you know, I was just kind of curious. I would want to know, you know, just casually. Not like I wanted to know because I wanted to know for myself, but, you know, er, for a friend. Just in that way, of course."

I take that statement back. Why don't _mouths_ have off switches?

James stopped walking and stood in front of me. A toothy, manic grin slowly spread across his face. Once his smile had reached its extent, which was nearly ear to ear, he crossed her arms. He observed me for a while with his alarmingly crazy looking smile, his eyes lit up.

"Does my wittle cousin have a crush on my best fwiend?" he pinched my cheek and ruffled my hair.

"No!" I exclaimed anxiously, feeling my face heat up as it always does. I think it's my trademark by this time.

"Robin," he clucked, "Don't even try to lie. You're horrible at it."

My throat had gone bone dry and I tried to swallow the knot. I couldn't and gulped like a fish out of water under my cousin's barmy grinning gaze. My eyes widened in horror when he let out a girlish giggle.

"James, NO! Please don't tell him!" I begged pathetically, dropping to my knees.

"Why shouldn't I?" he questioned in affronted tones, "Ever since I became Head Boy, everyone has been watching me like a hawk. I need some fun."

"Fun? You're going to betray my trust just for a bit of entertainment?" I asked in incredulity.

"You never said it was a secret," James said in a sing-song voice.

"Please, don't say anything to Sirius about this," I beseeched him desperately.

"Why shouldn't I? There isn't a single good reason why I shouldn't tell him," he stated without doubt.

"Wait, I have a good reason! You shouldn't tell him because you love your cousin so much and don't want her to jump off the Astronomy tower," I offered hopefully.

He paused thoughtfully before saying, "Nah, still not a good enough reason."

Before I could stop him, he ran down the corridor. I tried to run after him. I'm not in very good shape though. That's an understatement. Not only is the 'shape' not good, it doesn't even exist. The most exercise I've had in the last two years is speed walking to Potions so I wouldn't be late. So, I ran after James for all I was worth. My sharp breathing tore through my throat and chest and I felt like I was going to collapse.

Actually, I did. Right outside of the Gryffindor common room's portrait hole. I was only about 7 meters away from it when Lily Evans came running to my side, only seconds after my legs buckled.

"Oh Merlin! Are you alright, Robin? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?" Lily sputtered nervously.

Why does she ask me if I'm alright every time I speak to her? Do I really seem that unstable?

"No! No, just stop James. Find James Potter and hex him. Do anything. Just keep his mouth closed," I said quickly in between desperate gasps for air.

"What's wrong? What did he do?" she asked venomously, looking almost excited at the prospect that he'd done something horrible and would get his badge taken away.

"There isn't time!" I panted, heaving myself up, "Find James Potter and stop him!"

"Stop him from doing what?" Lily asked eagerly.

"Telling someone something they shouldn't know," I choked out.

Lily's smile faded into a frown and she slumped down beside me. She raised her eyebrows.

"_Telling someone something they shouldn't know?_ Like a secret? What year are you in again? I thought you were a prefect," she teased weakly.

My eyes felt like they were going to roll back into my head because I was still trying to catch my breath. My rampant oxygen gulping was slowing but I was light headed from all the panting and heavy breathing now. I felt like I was going to be sick and shut my eyes and tried to listen to Lily talking to me.

"I've been waiting ever since the first day of school for Potter to slip up, do anything that would prove me right, that he was nothing more than a bullying, immature boy," she sighed, "He's been a surprisingly good Head Boy though. He actually hasn't even asked me out since the train ride."

I nodded randomly, acknowledging that she had just said something and tried to open my eyes back up and breathe normally. I pieced together what she said by the snippets I heard. My ears were ringing loudly at this point.

I should really consider taking up jogging or yoga. I never knew how horribly out of shape I was.

"Maybe I should give him a chance. He's proved that he can be agreeable, mature, and, even at times, sweet. If he asked me to Hogsmeade again, I'd probably accept. What if he doesn't ask me again though? What if he fancies someone else now?" she wondered aloud anxiously.

I blinked and shook my head, trying to shake the ringing out of my ears. I looked at the girl in front of me and she looked a bit sad.

"Why don't you just ask him?" I suggested.

She looked at me and beamed. Lily gave me a quick hug which made me lose my breath again. My chest felt like it was going to explode. The friendly hug coupled with the heavy breathing I had been doing was not a pleasurable combination; quite the contrary, it made me want to die.

"Thanks for all the advice, Robin," she said sincerely, causing me to furrow my brow because I really hadn't said anything, and then she flounced into her common room.

I nodded and waved my hand. Abruptly, I let myself slump completely down on the ground. My face hit the cool stone floor with a _thump_ and I hoped that Lily was going to prove to be an effective distraction. I groaned pathetically into the floor and clenched my side, trying to neutralize the painful stitch.

"You there, on the floor, back to your common room!" Filch bellowed, his heavy footsteps growing closer, accompanied by the light steps of Mrs. Norris.

Bugger.

"Old wanker," I mumbled under my breath, pushing myself up slowly.

Then out of nowhere, another voice appeared without footsteps.

"Oops!" Peeves cackled, letting a slew of water balloons go.

Water splashed everywhere, including all over me. I glared at the poltergeist, but couldn't help smiling despite myself. At least he infuriates Filch with his constant misbehavior. Filch sputtered and grumbled, before shaking a finger at the ghost.

"I'll get you out of here for good if it's the last thing I do!" he roared.

The ghost laughed in return before floating off with the caretaker hobbling after him, cursing him up and down. As soon as Filch was out of site, I collapsed back down and sighed in relief. Hearing yet more footsteps, I started to grind my teeth. It only got worse though. I think I'd rather have Peeves.

"Have an accident, Robin?" Cathy asked me sweetly, her Hufflepuff friend laughing airily in response.

I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be really nice…

Then I realized that the snide meaning of the comment had completely gone over the girl's head. She wasn't mean, she was just extremely dim.

"Peeves was having a little fun, is all," I said, then adding harshly, "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know how Dog ended up in the Gryffindor tower, would you?"

The Hufflepuff girl laughed airily again. Does she just laugh at everything she assumes is sarcasm? I can see why she was in Hufflepuff now and not Ravenclaw. She's _astonishingly_ thick.

Cathy blinked a few times before regaining her cool.

"No idea," she said calmly, laughing prettily.

Before I could fire back at her with my knowledge and evidence of her being the infamous cat abuser, her boyfriend appeared out of Gryffindor's portrait hole with library books in tow. He smiled politely at me and gave Cathy a quick peck on the cheek.

"Ready?" he asked her.

She nodded and waved innocently at me like we were chums, "I'll see you later, Robin."

"_Cat abuser_," I hissed.

------------------------------------

"Maybe he won't tell Sirius," Emma said hopefully, brushing her hair out.

"He will. I know he will. He told Billy Fredricks that I fancied him when we were in first year and I still haven't spoken to that boy again. Now that's going to happen with Sirius. James is going to ruin my perfect plan," I whined lamely.

"Yes, well you were eleven then and now you're sixteen," she said matter-of-factly, pulling her night gown over her head.

"That makes no difference!" I retorted loudly, making Dog dig her claws into my leg.

"Robin, stop making mountains out of mole hills," Emma spat in annoyance.

"Speaking of rodents," I chuckled at my own pun, "I ran into Cathy and I think she's up to something."

"Don't try to make jokes," Emma said immediately, making me laugh, "No, Robin, really. Don't attempt puns. It's awful. Don't do that again. Ever. Especially in front of Sirius Black. If you think that James is going to destroy any chance you might have had with him before, it won't even hold a candle to what damage one of your puns could do."

I frowned at her, and pulled the covers up to my neck huffily.

"It wasn't that bad, Emma," I snapped.

"That's what you think," she said, laughing at her own shrewdness.

"That wasn't even funny!" I shot at her.

"What do you know about funny? You make puns! Puns aren't funny!" Emma argued.

"They are too! See, you don't know anything about humor! Everyone loves puns!" I responded arrogantly.

"Actually, I don't think that even was a pun. It was a lame attempt at a pun," she said with finality, "So…_there_!"

There was a long silence. I flopped in my bed and pulled Dog close to me. She yowled like I was torturing her and desperately clawed at the sheets, trying to run off. I tried to assure her that it was for her own good that she stays with me because the cat abuser might try to do her in again. After a few minutes, more feline howling, and a mangled finger or two, she calmed down.

"You're not really mad at me, are you, Robin?" Emma whispered hesitantly.

"Why would I be mad at you for an argument about puns?" I laughed.

"Well, you're in a state of distress because James is about to tell the boy you've been basically stalking that you fancy the pants off of him and that you begged him not to tell said boy like a ten year old school girl," she answered honestly, "Not to mention that this is nearly doubly embarrassing because James is your cousin and you fancy his best mate. It's almost as bad as liking one of your brother's friends."

"It sounds a lot worse when you say it like that," I mumbled, trying to ignore the dreadful sinking feeling I felt in my stomach.

-----------------------------------

**A/N-**Wow, guys, thanks again for all the reviews on the last chapter. I tried to reply to all of them. I'm sorry if I missed you. I really appreciated your review nonetheless. Sorry that took a while for that chapter. I've been very busy. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Things will start getting more interesting in the next chapter. I'm really excited to write it actually. And lurkers, come out of hiding. **Please** review again. It would mean oodles to me. No angry mob?


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer-** Does anyone honestly think that J.K. Rowling would spend her time writing fan fiction for Harry Potter? Good. Because if you, or at one point have, thought that J.K. Rowling wrote this fan fiction, just leave. Really.

**Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapters and thanks for being so patient for this new chapter! **

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 7-

"James told him," I groaned miserably at breakfast the next morning.

"Definitely," Emma agreed, "He keeps looking over here and then whispering to James with this disgusted expression. It's almost like someone put sour milk under his nose."

I frowned in a dejected manner.

"Or maybe it's rotten eggs. Both of those odors are rather foul. Perhaps it's even a mixture," Emma continued casually.

I stared at my friend in astonishment.

"Could you even imagine the stench of those two forces combined? I mean, judging by the way his nose is wrinkled, it's fairly safe to say that it is a repulsive scent," she plowed on.

"EMMA! Stop! You are not making matters any better!" I snapped.

"Don't get so snippy, Robin," she huffed.

"You just compared me to the smell of sour milk mixed with rotten eggs and now you're telling me not to be snippy? Honestly, Emma, I sometimes doubt the existence of your heart," I remarked.

"Now you're just being ridiculous, Robin. If I didn't have a heart, we wouldn't be talking right now," Emma replied curtly.

She then mistook my look of disbelief for a blank stare of incomprehension.

"Robin, it is simply impossible for human beings, or any other living thing, to survive without a heart. It's a major organ in the body, you see," Emma said.

"Merlin's beard," I muttered in annoyance before leaving the table in search of more intelligent and kind company.

Only a few steps away from the Ravenclaw table, I realized that I didn't have anywhere to go. Without hesitation though, I made my way over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down next to Clara. She was overjoyed to see me. Although she wasn't more intelligent company, she was at least nice to me.

"Robin! What are you doing here? Did you have a row with Emma? Is it because of Dog and that Sirius Black boy?" she asked excitedly without taking a breath, "Because I heard from Shane who heard from Rebecca who heard from her best friend's older sister who knows the Head Girl, Lily Evans, that James told Sirius Black that you fancy him and I told Shane it wasn't true because you were just happy that he found Dog because you love Dog more than anything in the whole entire world. Does Emma think that you fancy that Sirius bloke too? Is that why you aren't sitting with her? You and Emma fight an awful lot."

I stared at my little sister with my mouth slightly hanging open. I didn't know what to say to her. Not only was I shocked that she found out so much about my personal life without even speaking to me, but I was surprised that a human being could ramble so much in such a short span of time with a limited oxygen intake.

Then the realization of what she had just spouted from her overly large mouth began to come over me.

I was embarrassed by her chattering and the fact that nearly everyone within a fifteen foot radius was now staring at me. Also, take notice that the Marauders are amongst the people gawking in my direction. I've recently come to the conclusion that the four of them have some sort of Robin Radar that goes off every time that I'm about to be humiliated.

"I…um, well, Clara," I stammered, my eyes darting nervously, "Not."

"Not?" Clara repeated loudly, "That's not the right answer, Robin. It doesn't even make sense."

"What do you mean? I can't have a wrong answer," I said shrilly, "It's my answer. It can be whatever _I_ want it to be! I see no answer key in front of you. My answer was more than satisfactory."

"Look at how red her face is," a boy across from us whispered to his friend, who snickered.

I felt like I was in a dream or having an out-of-body experience. The people around me were staring and I'm nearly certain that Sirius Black and his gang of dunderheads were listening in. I wanted nothing more than to disappear.

If shame had a melting point, I would be oozing off the bench into a big puddle of Robin on the floor at this point.

"Robin is just embarrassed," Clara chimed in exuberantly, "Mum always tells me never to get her knickers in a twist because she gets insensible. By the way, I found another pair of your knickers yesterday, Robin. I couldn't believe you didn't get them before. They're your lucky ones!"

All of Clara's second year friends began to laugh uncontrollably. Professor McGonagall even sent a sharp look their direction. Even though they were just obnoxious little prats, I couldn't help feeling angry and ashamed.

"Merlin, Clara! Act your age! You're not five anymore," I snapped heatedly.

I shot up from my seat and turned on my heel to leave the Great Hall. I felt like I was some sort of catty drama queen as I stomped furiously from breakfast. I knew that Sirius Black had seen the entire exchange because when I glanced back, right before I walked through the doors, I could feel his burning gaze. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

-----------------------------------------------

I sat awkwardly by myself in the Charms room that day. Seeing as I had stormed away from two tables at breakfast today, including both my younger sister and best friend, I didn't have any reason to loiter in the corridors before class. It wasn't until today that I realized I don't have friends. I have Emma. She shouldn't even count as a friend. She doesn't have a soul.

I don't really mean that. I love Emma. She's my best friend, even if she does lack compassion, a conscience, and a sense of humor.

I need to start strategizing because in a matter of minutes, Sirius Black will walk through that door and sit his gorgeous arse down beside me. I don't want to make today a complete train wreck. I should have a plan of some sort.

Hmm…

I've got it! It's brilliant, too. I just won't speak. I will not utter a single syllable. He might not even acknowledge me. I think that silence is the best solution in this situation. I think that it will even be easy because Charms today will be an extremely uncomfortable class during which I should be too embarrassed to speak.

As a matter of fact, he probably won't even talk to me. I bet that Sirius finds this entire situation extremely awkward too. I'm sure he doesn't want to talk to me either. How uncomfortable would that be? He probably thinks I'm bonkers now as well.

This could prove to be problematic later though...This factor may slow down my original plan of getting him to fancy me.

I think it's best that we don't talk for now though. Addressing the subject would only make it infinitely worse. Honestly, I can't even imagine how awful that would be. Perhaps he will forget that James ever told him and then we can go on with our lives without any sort of awkward intercourse. After a while, things will return to normal and--

Oh Merlin, I just said intercourse. How inappropriate. Well, not necessarily inappropriate because I didn't mean it like that. It just came out. It didn't technically come out, only in my head. At least I hope it didn't come out verbally. That would be very unfortunate.

Intercourse…of all the words to say!

I was vaguely aware of people filtering into the classroom and I didn't notice the usually overpowering presence of Sirius Black until he opened his mouth. It didn't take long for me to stop_ imagining_ how awful it would be to talk about my little secret with Sirius. I got to experience it firsthand.

"So I hear that you fancy the pants off me," he said casually.

It took mere milliseconds before I was brought back to reality; and it was a harsh, _harsh_ reality.

My head snapped in his direction and I could feel my eyes steadily growing wider. Sirius was looking straight ahead but I could his eyes shifting in my direction. He had a definite smirk on his face and I could tell that he was getting amusement from my extreme discomfort.

"I—," I choked out.

"No need to explain, Robin," Sirius said arrogantly, waving his hand airily, "James told me all about your little obsession last night."

I was not only speechless, but I was paralyzed from the waist down. Scratch that. I was completely and utterly paralyzed by sheer shock and humiliation.

"No, Sirius, I--," I started, only to be promptly cut off.

"Don't worry about it. You're a teenage girl with loads of hormones, not there's anything wrong with that. It's completely normal," he said soothingly, giving me a rough, awkward pat on the back.

"I swear, it—"

"Robin, it's completely understandable. I'm a boy and you're a girl and sometimes feelings arise that, well," he paused and gave me a cocky smile.

"It's not an obsess—"

"Robin, you followed me for an entire day," Sirius countered quickly.

"Well, I'm not going to argue with that, but honestly it isn't what—"

"Initially, I was a bit creeped out," he interrupted again, "But, like I sa—"

"Would you stop bloody interrupting me?" I spat in irritation, earning a surprised look. "I'm not some sort of nutter, Sirius. Admittedly, it was a bit, er, odd that I followed you around for a whole day but you are damn near impossible to talk to. I thought it would be easier to get to know you by just watching you. And as for my so-called 'teenage girl hormones,' well, that wasn't even a valid point."

He stared at me thoughtfully and then rubbed his jaw line with his hand.

"Hormones are nothing to be ashamed of," Sirius said cautiously, "Everyone has them. Even I have—"

"Enough with the bloody hormones, Sirius!" I hissed, "This has nothing to do with hormones! Well, technically, it does, but we are not arguing about the function of hormones in the human body! This is about—"

Then I paused. I had nothing to say after that. I knew exactly what this was about. This was about me fancying Sirius, which I wasn't about to admit to him. Regardless if James told him that I do, in fact, 'fancy the pants off him,' I don't have any intention of reminding him.

If I were to address my feelings for him directly after a dispute about my hormones and possible stalker-like tendencies, it would only accentuate the two aforementioned points, thus making me look like a nutter. That is the precise thing that I want to avoid right now. I may yet have the power to salvage this.

"Cat got your tongue?" Sirius asked smartly, as if he could see the wheels turning inside my head.

I bit my lip. A strange tension hung over both of us. It felt like a ticking time bomb. The next thing that I say could destroy our weak relationship (if it can even be classified as a relationship). We've known each other for such a short time that saying the wrong thing may put an end to any chance I had.

"I suppose I should say 'Dog got your tongue,' huh?" he said calmly, taking me by surprise, "It wouldn't be hard to believe either. That cat is vicious."

I stared at him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It wasn't something sharp or witty. It was nice. It really surprised me. It surprised me so much that I didn't say anything for a while. It was just enough time to make the silence noticeable and slightly awkward.

"Uh, well," I stammered, "Er, yes. Dog is very _vivacious_."

Sirius arched an eyebrow.

"Vicious makes her seem mean. She just has a lot of spunk," I explained.

"Peter's arm is going to be scarred permanently from that cat. Spunky, vivacious cats don't violently attack the arms of innocent people the last time I checked," Sirius said, chuckling a bit.

"I'm sure he deserved whatever he got," I responded decidedly.

"Definitely," Sirius agreed, "Dog was simply serving justice. _What_ was Peter thinking when he decided to look for his lost shoe?"

I smiled at him.

Sirius may have just saved what I couldn't have.

-------------------------------------------------

"I'm sorry I was short with you this morning, Clara," I apologized to my sister.

Clara sniffed and poked her little nose in the air. It was exactly like our mother's nose. Merlin, that makes me feel bad about being rude to her. She's my only little sister.

"Tweet, I don't think I'm going to forgive you," she said stiffly.

I winced. 'Tweet' is what my family used to call me when I was younger. They thought it was cute when I made robin sounds, seeing as I share the same name as a bird. I guess that it _was_ cute until I was introduced to the real world. Then people just thought it was outright bizarre when I screeched 'TWEET!' at them when they asked for my name. I suppose not everyone knew that they were supposed to guess 'Robin' after that…

Silence followed for a couple minutes after Clara's last comment. I decided to stand dejectedly behind her while she ate her dinner until she felt she had let me suffer long enough.

"You were very rude to me. There was no excuse for it…unless, that is, you're on your period. You aren't menstruating, are you, Robin? I might be able to forgive you if you're on your period. It's alright to be grouchy then."

The second years across the table starting chortling and whispering again at the mention of menstruating. I narrowed my eyes at them, causing one boy to turn his snicker into a cough.

Clara stared at me expectantly. I knew that she wouldn't forgive me if I wasn't on my period. For some reason, that is the only viable excuse for rudeness to her. Any time John fights with her, they don't speak for days because she won't forgive him. John doesn't menstruate, so he doesn't get forgiven. As if it's his fault!

"Um, yes, Clara, I am on my period," I lied.

I clenched my teeth as her mouth formed a large 'O' and her fellow classmates nearly turned purple with mirth.

"I completely understand," she said wisely, nodding her head.

I had the strong urge to smack the back of her head at this point. I just gave her an extremely pained smile and nodded back instead.

"So, am I forgiven?" I asked tentatively.

"I guess so, Tweet," Clara decided hesitantly.

I gave her a quick smile of relief and returned to the Ravenclaw table and took a seat next to Emma. My friend took no apparent notice of me as she flipped a page of her Defense Against the Dark Arts book.

"You didn't apologize to me," Emma muttered.

I filled my plate with food and laughed.

"For what?" I questioned.

"You stomped away from me today, too," she responded, looking at me.

"That's because you treated me like an idiot after comparing me to the smell of rotten eggs and sour milk, Emma," I countered evenly.

Emma paused, looking thoughtful. She then returned her attention to reading. I smiled in triumph and proceeded to eat my dinner.

"I can't help that you can't handle the truth," Emma said calmly.

I choked and coughed on the chicken I was eating. While I was sputtering, Emma didn't even bother to look in my direction. This is even more evidence to prove that she doesn't have a heart. She didn't even care that I was about to kick the bucket because of a piece of chicken.

Just before my face turned blue, I felt a hand hardly clap my back and help me release the chicken from my throat. I sucked in air quickly and coughed.

"Try chewing, Robin," Sirius remarked, laughing a little.

"Yes, Robin," James chimed in, "It's the latest craze."

The two boys continued out the door of the Great Halls, both laughing. Whether they were laughing at me or not, I don't know. I felt a light blush heat up my cheeks. I couldn't contain a smile either.

"What was that?" Emma asked excitedly, turning in her seat to watch the retreating form of James and Sirius Black.

"That was Sirius Black not being disgusted and me not smelling like rotten eggs and sour milk," I retorted.

Emma gave me incredulous look.

"What happened in Charms today?" she questioned expectantly.

"Well, you know," I said vaguely, "We started practicing the charm we've been talking about the last couple days. Near the end of class, Flitwick assigned us an essay."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Emma said impatiently.

I smirked. Now who was the nosy one! I felt very empowering to finally be the one with the information. I could just hold it above her head for as long as I wanted to, and make her beg and plead for the news.

"Well?" Emma urged.

"He isn't completely frightened by me," I answered hastily, not being able to contain my glee for long, "Sirius was actually very good about it."

"Robin, that's fantastic! I thought you were barmy before," she said, "Now your plan is actually working!"

I grimaced and her smile faded.

"Not exactly," I said, "He didn't really seem interested in anything along the lines of date in Hogsmeade. He was just very kind and friendly. I don't think he was really thinking of me in that way. Well, not yet at least. My plan hasn't been in action long enough for that sort of effect."

"Oh," Emma sighed, seeming more crestfallen about this fact than I was.

"No worries though, Emma. This gives me new, refreshed hope!" I said optimistically.

My friend once again gave me one of those skeptical looks that I know so well. They're all I've been getting ever since I started this so-called 'wild goose chase.'

I poked at the potatoes on my plate, scooting them around absentmindedly. Emma returned to reading her Defense Against the Dark Arts book, apparently not interested in hearing anything else on the subject. I, on the other hand, tried to think that this was the start of something. Being friends was maybe the best place to start for Sirius and me.

It seemed that Emma did not share the same opinion. As ridiculous as it may seem, I really wanted to hear something uplifting, optimistic, or supportive from Emma. I knew it was a long stretch because, as I mentioned before, she lacks a soul. She has surprised me before with hopeful and comforting comments or affirmations. Today is one of those days where some kind words would be nice.

"So, er, do you have anything to say on the matter?" I questioned hopefully.

She was silent.

"Any feelings you'd like to share?" I prodded.

She scratched her nose and pursed her lips.

"Comments?"

She flipped a page in her book and took a bite of bread, still silent.

"Questions?" I asked imploringly.

"Yes," Emma responded, giving me a spark of hope.

"Where's my apology?"

-----------------------------------------------------

**A/N-** And Writer-in-Disguise returns from the dead!! Yes, I know, surprising. Let me just say that school has been awful and literally drained any kind of motivation and creativity from the depths of my soul. It actually took away my hope. It's been like Groundhog Day. Has anyone ever seen that movie? Bill Murray? The toaster in the bath tub? Yeah, that's what the last eighteen weeks of my life have felt like. This is the first weekend all year that I haven't had some sort of school related work. Ok, I lied. I should be doing research on genetically modified foods but writing Harry Potter fan fiction so completely owns that. Not to get anyone down or anything, but chances are that I won't get another chapter up for a while. As I mentioned before, I've been in an education-induced slump. Reviews would be so utterly wonderful though. Thanks to my last reviewer, who gave me the motivation to get this chapter up. **Please review**. It would be fantastic and perhaps next time I won't torture you with an author's note as long as the actual chapter. Blame it on lack of sleep. As a final note, please excuse grammatical errors and such. My eyeballs melted from my skull around a half hour ago.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer-** At this point, I'm fairly certain that a disclaimer is completely unnecessary, but unless you missed the message in the previous seven chapters, I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it.

**Thank you so, so, so, so much for all the feedback on the last chapter. I really appreciate it. I also thank the people that reviewed months after the last chapter was posted.**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 8-

"Have you seen my new sweater? The blue one?" Cathy asked her friend in irritation.

I gave my cat a sideways glance. Surely enough, Dog was rolling around in my sheets with what appeared to be the mangled remains of a blue sweater. With a sudden guttural upheaval, the tag of my roommate's sweater was regurgitated on to my pillow. Hoping that the coating of cat hair would be able to disguise the tag, I hastily covered Dog and her trophy with my robe.

Cathy caught the motion out of the corner of her eye. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"_You_ haven't seen my sweater, have you?"

"Um… No, _I_ haven't," I said hurriedly, "Although I think Emma may have mistakenly taken it."

"Oh," Cathy said dejectedly.

I was almost certain that she was greatly disappointed that she could not blame Dog. She did perk up a bit when her friend suggested finding Emma. As long as she has a victim, Cathy is quite satisfied. I do feel bad that I sort of served Emma on a platter to Cathy the Dragon…

As soon as Cathy left, I whipped the robe off my bed to get rid of the evidence. There was very little of the sweater left. I imagined that the left sleeve was half digested at this point. Unfortunately for my hands and lower arms, Dog had become emotionally attached to the sweater.

She was not too keen on giving me the remains.

----------------------------------------------

"What the hell happened to your arms, Robin?" Emma asked in horror.

"Oh, you know," I answered nonchalantly, waving my fork.

"No," she said hysterically, "No, I don't know. If I did, would I be asking?"

"Is that a rhetorical question because—" I started.

"Merlin! Robin, it looks like you've been mauled," she cried, "Have you been to the hospital wing? You have blood all over the sleeves of your shirt!"

"It's nothing. Dog was just playing."

Emma immediately let out a lengthy and completely unnecessary sigh.

"I think that in her old age, Dog has developed dementia," Emma said sadly.

"My cat does not have dementia, thank you very much," I said hotly, "Plus, she is not even that old."

"She mauled you, Robin. _Mauled_. That was not playing. Cats with mental stability do not cause their owners to bleed profusely."

I opened my mouth, but Emma cut me off.

"And please don't try to feed me the line that Dog is "vivacious." That is complete rubbish and you know it. That cat is barmy," she said firmly, "Vivacious is not an understatement; it's a complete personality misdiagnosis."

"That's debatable," I replied testily.

Just as Emma was about to argue, I saw Cathy advancing on us. It was time for me to leave.

"Right. Well, I need to pop into the library before class. I'll see you later," I lied, throwing my bag over my shoulder quickly.

I nearly sprinted to the library for fear that Emma would correctly identify Dog as the culprit. Cathy would eat my soul. Metaphorically speaking, that is. I don't think that you can actually consume souls. Unless you're a dementor, I suppose. They actually _do_ eat souls.

Cathy is rather foul. Maybe her mother was a dementor. I've actually never seen the woman's face. She always seems to be cloaked. Her hands looked rather skeletal the day I saw her in Madam Malkin's…

If that were the case, then perhaps Cathy really could eat my soul. Dementors use more of a sucking action when consuming souls, so it is arguable that they drink souls. Like a smoothie; a soul-flavored smoothie.

"Shut up, _shut up_! You're ludicrous!" I muttered fiercely to myself as I nearly walked into a book shelf.

"Excuse me?"

I jumped at the sound of a voice.

"Sorry," Remus apologized, "I thought you were talking to me."

"No, just talking to myself because dementors can't reproduce with wizards," I said distractedly, "Silly idea…"

"Ah," he smiled, "Of course."

I sat down at the same table as Remus and opened my bag. I was rummaging through my things to find the essay I needed to turn in later when I found a soggy blue clump of sweater. I panicked when I realized I still had it. Cathy sits behind me in my next class. If she were to find it, my soul would be her lunch.

"Bugger, bugger, bugger!"

He barely looked up from his book as I had a mild panic attack.

I stared at the soggy mess in my hands in horror. I needed to get rid of it. I looked anxiously around the library. There were no trash bins to be seen. I glanced at Remus. His full attention was on the book he was reading. As stealthily as I could, I put the destroyed sweater in Remus's bag. The second it left my hands, I jumped up and started towards the door.

"Did you just put something in my--" I heard someone call curiously behind me.

--------------------------------------

"Bloody hell! What happened to your face?"

I glared at Sirius. He was lying in the bed next to me, and apparently recovering from a recent blow from a bludger. A bandage was tightly wound around his shoulder.

"No, really, Robin. You're face is covered in green boils. What happened? That can't be natural."

"I would say not!" Madam Pomfrey clucked nervously, swooping down on me.

She offered me a potion that I took with hesitation. I was pleasantly surprised to taste something that didn't trigger my gag reflex for once. Needless to say, the hospital wing is not known for its delectable drinks.

I sighed in ecstasy as I felt the pressure ebb away on my face. The boils were shrinking away as quickly as they had sprouted.

"What happened?" Sirius asked again.

"Just a little disagreement amongst friends," I answered.

"That's an understatement," he snorted.

"Well," I started, struggling to find an adequate description of the event…

"_Where were you at dinner?" Emma asked acidly._

"_Oh, I, er, decided to pick up a couple books at the library," I said nervously, picking up the regurgitated tag on my pillow._

"_Really? That's interesting seeing as you went to the library during breakfast today, too. Do you want to guess who came to chat with me after your hasty departure?" Emma snapped._

"_Professor Dumbledore?" I offered jokingly._

_My smile deflated with the withering glare that I received._

"_No, Robin. Cathy came to talk to me. Apparently you told her that I have her new sweater. The sweater her mother just sent her for her birthday. The sweater she wanted for months. The sweater that is worth more than ten of your damn cat," she said darkly._

"_That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" I responded defensively._

"_Harsh? HARSH? Not only was Cathy utterly convinced that I have her sweater, or lost it after I stole it, but she forced me to give her two of my sweaters in return. TWO! She insisted that her sweater was far too expensive to be worth only one of mine! I have lost my only intact sweaters! Do you know what happened to the others?" Emma yelled hysterically._

"_Er…"_

"_DOG! Your stupid, bloody cat mangled them! One of my sweaters is missing an entire sleeve! My left arm isn't even covered! That cat is a monster!"_

"_Don't blame it all on Dog. I think that maybe you should take some responsibility. Did it ever occur to you that maybe it wasn't Dog's fault that you lost Cathy's sweater?" I said fairly._

_Emma's right eye twitched and her mouth twisted into an unrecognizable snarl._

"And after that, it all went downhill," I finished.

Sirius stared at me, his left eyebrow quirked so high that it was almost completely out of view.

"Girls are completely loony," he muttered.

"Come on, Sirius. What would you have done?" I argued.

"Covered your entire body in those boils," he answered immediately.

"What?" I gaped, "I thought you said it was loony that she did that! Your exact words were 'Girls are completely loony!'"

"Let me correct my previous statement. _You're_ loony," Sirius said.

I stared at him with my mouth open.

"Don't think I don't know what that cat is like. Remus also has a sleeveless sweater after Dog's brief stay in our dormitory. Perhaps Emma should get together with him, and they could form a club for people who have been victimized by your cat. Peter can join as well. He still has scars from his attack," he said, laughing at the end.

"Dog does not 'victimize' people," I shot back.

Our conversation was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey who came to check on us. Under the impression that I had boils on other places of my body, Madam Pomfrey lifted up my sleeves to check my arms. She gasped when she saw the mangled state of my arms.

"What happened to your arms, dear? It almost looks like you were attacked," she gasped, turning my hand over to examine the deep cut running across my palm.

"Yes, Robin, it does rather look like you were the _victim_ of an attack," Sirius said smugly.

I sighed indignantly as Madam Pomfrey healed my extensive battle wounds. Nobody understands Dog the way I do.

Sirius and I were both released a short while later from the hospital wing. Neither of us spoke until we were at the end of the corridor. When Sirius turned in the same direction as me, I had to say something.

"Isn't Gryffindor tower the other way?" I asked curiously.

I suddenly got excited. I felt stupid for asking him why he was still walking with me now. Maybe he was trying to be casual about walking me to my common room.

"Yeah, but I'm hungry," he responded off-handedly.

When I finally registered what he said, I fell out of my daydream to have my hopes crushed. Of course. What was I thinking? Sirius may be tolerant of me "fancying the pants off him," but that doesn't mean he is going to encourage it. In fact, there is not a chance in hell that he even remotely reciprocates my feelings. It probably didn't even occur to him. As Emma tried to warn me before, Sirius is simply not interested in girls. And, as he so kindly pointed out earlier, I am completely loony.

"Oh," I muttered quietly.

"Didn't you say that you missed dinner?"

My head shot up quickly. Was I getting an invitation?

"Well," Sirius continued, "If you're hungry, you're welcome to join me in the kitchens. I'm sure the house elves would be delighted if they had someone else to force food upon."

My eyes widened. I could feel my face beginning to flush. I fiercely fought the blood to retreat from my cheeks. I needed to keep cool, calm, and collected. I don't want to seem crazy or ridiculously eager (even though I am both). I nodded, and we continued down the corridors.

"James would never tell me the secret of getting into the Hogwarts kitchens," I commented as Sirius tickled a portrait that swung open to reveal a horde of elves.

"Understandably," Sirius said seriously, "We don't want the entire school to find out. It's sort of a secret."

As soon as we entered the kitchens, we were swarmed by numerous elves. Within seconds we were surrounded by waist-high platters of every food imaginable. The elves were so overzealous in wanting to serve us.

"I'm just curious, but why exactly did you tell your roommate that Emma took her sweater when it is obvious Dog destroyed it?" Sirius asked after he gulped down some pumpkin juice.

"Well, Cathy hates Dog. In fact, she frequently tries to kill my cat and make it look like an accident," I answered easily.

"You're kidding," he laughed, but upon seeing my grave expression, said, "That is completely ridiculous. Despite her flaws, nobody would try to kill your cat."

"Cathy has always hated Dog with a passion. I'm convinced that she is a cat abuser," I replied firmly.

"Right," Sirius muttered, shaking his head.

"John and Emma think I'm crazy, too. You guys will all be sorry when Dog ends up getting eaten by something in the Forbidden Forest because Cathy locked her outside."

We were silent for a while as we ate our abnormally late dinner. As poised and eloquent as I normally am around Sirius, I was wholly surprised that I managed to eat an entire meal without choking or tragically embarrassing myself.

"Why Dog?" Sirius suddenly asked.

"What?" I coughed, finally choking on some pumpkin juice.

"It's just a really bizarre name for a cat. Every time you talk about Dog, I wonder why you named her that," he clarified.

"Oh, well I suppose it _would_ seem rather strange to someone who didn't know the story. When I was eleven, all I wanted was a puppy. I wanted a dog so much, and when I got a cat I was furious with my parents. They told me that I wouldn't be able to take a dog to Hogwarts, and they didn't want the responsibility of an untrained puppy while I was away. So they thought that a cat was an adequate substitute," I explained.

"And of course it wasn't," Sirius nodded understandingly.

"No. Don't get me wrong, I love my cat but I was very angry at the time. I named my kitten Dog just to show my parents that I was very displeased with their decision. I thought that maybe if I called the kitten Dog my parents would finally see the error of their ways and get me a real puppy," I said wistfully, "I'm sure that they regret their choice now, though. My mum can't even put curtains up when Dog is at the house. She shreds them within minutes of getting home. They probably wish they would have gotten a slobbery Newfoundland instead."

"I must agree that a dog would be much better," he said, "Although, I am a bit biased."

He laughed at himself, making me feel like I was missing some sort of joke. Sirius looked down at his hands, and I took the opportunity to study his face. In addition to being very handsome, I found Sirius's face very difficult to read. It was almost impossible to tell what he was feeling or thinking.

At that moment, the portrait swung aside and James rushed in. The elves swarmed him immediately with chants of "Master Potter." James gave me a curious glance before Sirius looked up with surprise.

"Prongs!" he greeted over-enthusiastically, jumping up to clap James on the back.

James gave him the same curious look he gave me before excitement completely took over. His eyes were shining, and he seemed to simply beam.

"I'M GOING ON A DATE TO HOGSMEADE WITH LILY EVANS NEXT WEEKEND!" he cried loudly, no longer being able to contain himself.

"Congratulations!" Sirius and I both exclaimed at the same time.

"It's been a long, hard journey. I finally achieved the impossible, though. As soon as we picked the time, I had to find the two of you," James beamed, "You both encouraged me during my darkest hours, and for that I am eternally thankful. If it wasn't for the support of my friends, and in Robin's case, family, I never would have wooed Lily. When we get married, you'll both be in the wedding, I swear."

I nodded, and Sirius clapped James on the back again.

And Sirius said that girls were loony! Hah! You would have thought that James had just won an award with the speech he was giving.

"I'm proud of you, mate," Sirius told James, grinning broadly at him, "Have you told Moony and Wormtail yet?"

"No, not yet," James said happily, "They're in the common room, though. Shall we spread the good news?"

The three of us left the kitchens together. James's excitement and happiness was palpable. It seemed to radiate off him. There was a comfortable silence as we made our way through the school.

"Enough about me," James burst out excitedly, eliciting confused stares from both Sirius and me, "It looked like the two of you were getting rather cozy."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"Yes, Robin, me, and about a dozen house elves," Sirius snorted, causing James to snicker a bit, too.

I felt a blazing blush rush to my face, a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Neither Sirius nor James seemed to notice.

I knew that it wasn't a proper date, but I didn't think that it was so completely devoid of emotion. Sirius didn't even say it was just a conversation between friends. He decided it was more fitting to make fun of the very idea that we could ever get "cozy." Apparently it is that far-fetched and unbelievable to him. Obviously it is too embarrassing to even claim me simply as a friend.

The blush completely left my face only to be replaced by a clenched jaw.

"You should have seen her earlier," Sirius said, "She came down to the hospital wing with her face completely covered in nasty boils. Emma put one hell of a hex on her. It looked awful."

Sirius's narration of my visit to the hospital wing received another round of laughter from the two of them.

My eyes narrowed at the floor in front of me, and I began to grind my teeth. I knew that I was becoming unreasonably angry, but I felt like I had some sort of twisted justification for feeling so irritated.

He acted like it was a joke to even talk to me. The notion of us sort of being friends was completely off-base, I guess. Why would I be so silly as to assume we were on friendly terms?

"Robin?" James said, looking over at me, "Are you alright? You're rather quiet."

"Just tired," I said tightly, looking up.

Sirius stared at me as if just seeing me for the first time in his life.

"You don't look tired," he said, "You look really pissed."

"Well spotted," I mumbled quietly in irritation.

Sirius squinted at me like I was print that was too small to read. I started to walk away from them.

"What's wrong?" James called after me, sounding confused.

"I'll see you tomorrow, James," I called back to him.

I didn't answer his question, or address Sirius. I walked absent-mindedly until I found myself in the Ravenclaw common room where I was greeted by a clearly apologetic Emma.

"I'm so sorry, Robin!"

"It's fine. No harm done," I said, allowing her to throw her arms around me in a hug.

"No harm? I gave you terrible boils all over your face!" she cried, looking anguished.

"Madam Pomfrey healed them," I shrugged, sitting down on the sofa closest to the fire.

"I know, but I never lash out magically at people when I'm angry," she said sadly.

"So you do have a heart!" I gaped, bouncing back into a better mood.

Emma stared at me for a minute. It almost looked like she pitied me.

"Robin, we've been through this heart thing before," she sighed, "If I didn't have a heart—"

I cut her off, saying, "You wouldn't be alive. I know, I know. Metaphorically speaking though, you have a heart."

At that moment, Dog chose to leap on to my lap. She then proceeded to cough up what I believe was the entire right sleeve of Cathy's blue sweater. Emma gaped at the sheer size of the sweater fur ball. I looked up anxiously to have my worst fears confirmed.

Cathy was a short way across the room glaring at Dog with pure hatred. Emma, too, noticed this.

"I'm sorry, Robin," Emma said consolingly, "Dog had a good run, but I think your cat is finally done for it."

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**A/N-** I know, I know… I pretty much fell off the face of the planet for about a year. I couldn't even remember how to format my chapters. Judging from my last author's note, it has been well over a year since I updated. I will claim an education-induced slump once again. Sex education was not as mind numbing as genetically modified foods, though so I wasn't inclined to use fan fiction as a means of procrastination. I apologize for the spelling and grammatical errors. It is late, and I'm fairly certain my brain shut down during my edit. Special thanks to Rose because she reviewed multiple times to encourage me to pick the story up again. Please review again. It is always very appreciated. By the way, what the hell is up with the new site set up?! What was wrong with the old way?


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Harry Potter. It's a harsh reality, I know.

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It was greatly appreciated! **

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 9-

_Three more inches, just three teensy inches_ I thought frantically.

"Robin!"

I looked up and groaned. Jake Addams was waving at me from half way down the table. Actually, waving is an understatement. It looked more like he was being attacked by a swarm of bees, and was trying desperately to beat them away. .

I looked back down at my Charms essay. I couldn't handle a distraction at this point. I had approximately seven minutes to scribble something down that would fill up the last three inches.

"Didn't you see me waving at you?"

I jumped as Jake plopped down beside me. He had a wide smile on his face. It was clear that he thought his presence brought me some sort of joy.

"Er, no. Sorry, I'm really trying to finish this essay. Maybe we can talk later," I mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, Robin," he said condescendingly, "You should never leave homework until the last minute."

I simply nodded, refraining from telling him to bugger the hell off. The temptation was extremely strong, though. He was hovering, and it was seriously distracting. Jake was probably reading through my essay, searching for errors and misspellings. I'm certain he was sincerely considering pulling out a quill to circle all my mistakes. The scrutinizing expression on his face gave him away.

It was silent for a minute before I finally caved in.

"Did you need something, Jake?" I questioned tonelessly.

"Well," Jake said, clearing his throat loudly, "I just wanted to remind you that you and I have to do rounds tonight. I've noticed that you've been rather forgetful lately, Robin, so I thought I ought to remind you. We wouldn't want it to look as though you were skiving off your responsibilities, now would we?"

After getting over the initial shock of the strong use of the term "we," I repressed a snort. I _haven't_ been forgetful, and I _have_ been skiving off. I would rather spend my evenings pickling toad eyes than patrolling the corridors with Jake.

"Right, well, thank you for that reminder," I said with a note of finality.

Had it not been for Clara boisterously arriving at the table, I'm certain Jake would have continued to hover over my unfinished essay and me. Despite being glad for Jake's departure, I was not particularly pleased with Clara's arrival. My essay would never get finished before Charms at this rate.

"Mum wanted me to give you this letter," she announced loudly.

In the process of roughly thrusting a piece of wrinkled parchment at me, Clara succeeded in spilling an entire goblet of pumpkin juice over the top portion of my essay. I gasped in horror as the ink became close to unreadable.

"CLARA!" I cried.

"Mum says that when you've finished reading the letter to pass it over to John. It's about the holidays," Clara informed me, clearly unperturbed that she had just destroyed my homework.

My sister flounced back over to the Hufflepuff table without a backward glance at me. I was torn between trying to repair the top portion of my essay and finishing the last three inches. At the sound of my name being called again, I gathered my soggy parchment and nearly sprinted from the Great Hall.

The class slowly filed in as I finished the last few sentences of my sodden essay. Despite the physical state of my assignment, I was pleased with the content.

"Robin, I tried to get your attention at breakfast, but you must not have heard me," Remus said as he approached my desk.

"Oh, sorry. I just had to finish this essay before class," I apologized.

"I found this in my bag last night," Remus said, pulling out a large blue mass from his bag, "I figured that it must have gotten into my bag somehow at the library by mistake."

I winced as the sweater remains rolled on to the table in front of me. I felt a small bubble of shame erupt in my stomach when I saw the slight twinkle in Remus's eyes. He knew damn well that it wasn't a mistake.

"Mistake?" Sirius said with a bark of laughter as he sat down, "She was just getting rid of the evidence."

"Evidence?" Remus repeated bemusedly.

"That blue thing is what is left of Robin's roommate's sweater," Sirius told him, "She hid the evidence to protect her man-eating feline."

I huffed in indignation at the term "man-eating feline."

"Ah," chuckled Remus knowingly, "Yes, I see now. Dog is a, um, voracious eater. I, myself, have a sweater that has lost an arm in Dog's digestive tract."

"She doesn't mean to destroy things," I muttered.

"I'm sure she doesn't," Remus said matter-of-factly as he stowed the mangled sweater back into his bag.

I gave him a questioning look as he fastened his bag.

"You wouldn't want to dispose of the evidence anywhere your roommate would find it," Remus smiled, "I'm sure she won't find it in the Gryffindor tower."

"Thanks," I said gratefully, "I think Cathy knows, though. She saw Dog regurgitate half her sweater in the common room last night."

"For all she knows it was someone else's sweater," he said easily, nodding at Sirius and I as he walked away to take a seat next to Peter Pettigrew.

I stared curiously at the back of Remus's shabby robes. He really did put up a good front of being innocent. Then again, I must also take into consideration that his best mates are notorious pranksters. Obviously he is just a little more subtle about his trouble making, and at least tries to get out of it with clever excuses.

Professor Flitwick entered the classroom. As he walked up to the front of the room, all the essays zoomed into his arms with a flick of his wand. Upon making contact with his arm, Professor Flitwick noticed my essay. Unfortunately, the attention my work got was not necessarily positive. His nose wrinkled as he picked up the soggy piece of parchment to look at the name.

"Miss Willows, you're a talented witch," Flitwick said aloud, "So please put your abilities to use the next time you spill something on your homework."

I turned a light shade of pink as the class snickered at my botched essay. Sirius emitted a loud snort beside me. Feeling some of the irritation from the night before resurface, I looked pointedly away from Sirius. I could feel his eyes on the side of my face.

"Is it because I made fun of your boils?" he asked.

I ignored him.

"Or because I called you loony? Or because I insulted your cat?" he questioned.

I sighed, staring at the chalkboard as notes appeared. Professor Flitwick started explaining the notes about the new Charm.

"Or is it just hormones again?" he plodded on.

A slight blush rose to my face, and I felt a corner of my mouth twitch into a half smile. I didn't want to feel butterflies in my stomach, but it was nearly impossible. He was actually trying to cheer me up a bit. He didn't want me to be angry at him.

"Does it make a difference?" I questioned.

I concentrated very hard on keeping my eyes on the board. I didn't want to look at him because I knew I would smile and forever forget that he ever insulted me in any manner. I also knew that my face would turn red, and within moments I would turn into a blithering idiot.

"Not really," he shrugged, "It all boils down to the hormone thing again."

I couldn't help myself; I turned to look at Sirius. He was wearing a hopeful, half-smile. As predicted, my face started to burn and my stomach was pleasantly somersaulting.

"Am I forgiven for whatever wrongs I have done you?" Sirius asked me.

"I thought you decided to blame it all on my hormones," I said, quirking my eyebrow at him.

Balancing his chair on the back legs, Sirius rubbed his chin before letting the front legs fall back to the floor. He glanced quickly over at me before giving his full attention to the notes on the board.

"Who said they were _all_ your hormones?" he remarked flippantly as he stared down at the notes he was taking.

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By the time I sat down with Emma at lunch, my face was just starting to lose color. I felt like I had just spent the whole morning floating on a glorious cloud. Who knew that seven words could create such euphoria?

Emma seemed to be in a foul mood, but not even that could bring me down. Sirius Black had just sort-of-almost-kind-of indicated that he maybe had sort-of-almost-kind-of feelings for me. I know that I over-analyze everything that comes out of his mouth, but there simply isn't that many ways to misunderstand that comment. It's impossible, right?

"That stupid tart won't give my sweaters back!" Emma finally burst out.

I stared at my friend as she began to breathe heavily. Her face began to flush with anger. I was startled at how much emotion Emma had been showing lately.

"She saw Dog cough up her sweater! She _SAW!_" Emma hissed angrily, "You and I both know that she will seek revenge on the cat! She will! But will the wench give my sweaters back? NO! That infuriating, evil, foul, fu—"

"You always thought I was loony for thinking Cathy was trying to doing Dog in," I said skeptically.

"Not anymore, Robin," she growled, "I'm certain that she is an evil, trifling harpy."

I raised my eyebrows at Emma. Who knew that sweaters could induce such intense emotions from a person?

My friend's anger did, however, present a golden opportunity.

"I say we steal dragon dung from the greenhouse to put in her bed. We could even put loads of dead flobberworms in her pillow, too," I offered in what I hoped sounded like an offhand manner despite the fact that it was an extremely premeditated, well-planned scheme.

"Perhaps," Emma said thoughtfully, "Or maybe I'll hex her brains out."

As Emma began to plot revenge on Cathy, I started to drift back to my Sirius-induced euphoria. As much as I rejoiced in the fact that I now had someone else who would like to give Cathy a rough time, it felt like someone had cast a ridiculously powerful Cheering Charm on me. I knew that I had a loopy smile on my face, but I didn't care.

"What is wrong with you today?" Emma asked irritably.

"He said that it wasn't _all_ my hormones," I sighed happily.

"Am I supposed to understand that?" Emma spat, "Or are you just going to be cryptic?"

I smiled at Emma which caused her to narrow her eyes dangerously at me.

"Right," she muttered, "Since you are obviously delusional, I'm going to go to the library to search the dodgy books for some new hexes."

I waved at her as she stomped out of the Great Hall. I twirled a fork around on the table absent-mindedly until I felt someone sit down next to me. I gave John a broad smile when I looked up at him.

"Clara said you have a letter from mum," he yawned.

"Oh, right," I said, suddenly remembering the wrinkly parchment in my bag.

I pulled the parchment out of my bag for John and me to read. It didn't take either of us long to read what our mother had written. It took even less time for dread to settle in the pits of our stomachs.

"No," John said firmly, shaking his head.

"No?" I laughed, "I don't think we have a choice in the matter."

"The woman is a monster!" John cried, "I am not spending the holidays with her. I refuse!"

"What are you going to do then, John? Stay at Hogwarts?" I asked sarcastically, throwing my arms in the air.

"Maybe I will. It would be a load better than being with Aunt Esther," John shot back defensively.

"What were mum and Uncle Robert supposed to do? Tell her she can't come, and make her spend the holidays by herself," I snapped.

"It's her own fault that her daughter doesn't talk to her. If she was my mum, I wouldn't talk to her either," John huffed, "Plus, she won't be alone. She has Lawrence."

I shuddered. Almost as terrible as our Great Aunt Esther was her constant companion. Lawrence was a ferret. Unlike most people, she did not have a cat or a dog or even an owl as a pet. She chose a ferret.

"I don't think it's quite the same," I said sadly, thinking of the chaos that would accompany Aunt Esther and Lawrence.

"She treats the bloody thing like a person! Why doesn't he count as human company around the holidays?" John grumbled.

I groaned, letting my face slide down to the table. As happy as I was before, the news of Aunt Esther and her beady-eyed companion considerably deflated my joy.

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I was pressed tightly against a wall on the second floor. I could still hear Jake talking as he continued down the corridor by himself (although, he was not yet aware of that minor detail). He still hasn't caught on to the fact that I could care less about his ambitions to become Head Boy.

I tensed as I heard footsteps coming towards me. Merlin, Jake finally realized that I'm gone.

Bugger, bugger, _bugger!_

A wand lit up in front of my face. It was so bright that I couldn't see who was holding it.

"I've just heard," the person said gravely.

I recognized James's voice at once.

"Makes you really look forward to the holidays, doesn't it?" I asked sardonically.

James let out a long, guttural groan as if he had just taken a hard blow to the stomach.

"My mum didn't even tell me! I heard it from John! What were they thinking? Nobody wants the old bat there," he whined.

"Look at it this way, James," I said, "At least the holidays will end with in such low spirits that you'll be looking forward to your N.E.W.T.S."

"Do you want to know the worst part about it?" James asked despondently.

"Er," I hesitated, "There's something worse?"

"Yeah," he said, "Dad was talking to mum a while ago about it. Aunt Esther thought that Lawrence was lonely, and she decided that he needed some romance in his life. There's another, Robin. _There's another!_"

My eyes widened in horror.

"What do you mean? There can't be," I said firmly, "No. Not even Aunt Esther is that crazy."

"Oh, yes she is," he replied grumpily, "Apparently Louise is a beauty with a simply phenomenal pedigree."

"_Pedigree?_ There is such a thing as ferret pedigree?" I gaped.

"I guess," James said, "Dad said Aunt Esther was even considering taking them to shows."

"What? There are actually other people that crazy?"

"The bloke she got Louise from told her that she should take the little weasel to competitions," James responded, "It appears that Lawrence is a very "handsome" ferret, too. Aunt Esther has got herself a couple lookers, and she is bloody proud of it."

"And I'm sure we'll get to hear all about Lawrence and Louise over the holidays," I said miserably.

James nodded somberly as I imagined our holiday break that was sure to be like stepping into the depths of hell for a week. With a wince, I realized what would most likely come from Aunt Esther's intended ferret romance.

"Merlin's beard," I breathed, "The little weasels will have a clan by Christmas."

James looked as thunderstruck as I felt. I was sure the same images I had of a furry monster clan were flashing through his head, too.

Seconds later our silent, agonized conversation was interrupted by footsteps. A wand lit up a few feet away from us to reveal a girl with a gleaming Head Girl badge and red hair.

I took her appearance as my signal to leave. I waved good-bye to a slightly happier looking James and walked away from the pair. As I got closer to the Ravenclaw common room, I felt my mind start to drift back to Sirius. By the time I actually entered my common room, I was in such a state that I barely noticed the noise.

"Give them back!"

I was shook from my trance by the sound of my best friend's screech.

"They aren't yours anymore!" Cathy shot back.

My mouth hung open stupidly when I saw the states of Cathy and Emma. My friend looked as though she was part reptile with her new scaly skin while Cathy had sprung large pustules all over her body.

Emma's eyes narrowed into tiny slits as she glared at the sweater Cathy was wearing. I recognized it as the one I had bought her two Christmases ago. Then without warning, Emma launched herself at Cathy.

"Emma! No!" I yelled, running after her.

It was too late. She was ripping furiously at the sweater that was rightfully hers. Cathy screamed in pain as the pustules erupted on her arms. I tried to pull Emma off Cathy even though I had waited years for someone to finally attack her.

No good deed goes unpunished, though. Cathy's flailing fist made contact with my nose, successfully breaking it. I rolled over on my side as the blood poured from my nose. I let out a moan of pain only a second before my body became completely rigid.

Someone had obviously snitched because Professor Flitwick stood at the entrance of the common room with his wand raised. Never had I seen the small man so enraged. Jake Addams stood right behind him like a sentinel. He looked so smug that it made me want to puke.

---------------------------------------------------------------

One visit to the hospital wing later, we had all been sentenced to a week's worth of detentions. "Muggle dueling" seemed to be a major offense.

"You're such an idiot," I hissed at Emma after everyone else had fallen asleep.

"Shut up," she snapped.

"I didn't even do anything, and now I have a detention! I was just an innocent bystander," I muttered angrily.

"Innocent bystander," she snorted, "Please, Robin. You had a broken nose."

"I was trying to break up the fight," I said defensively.

"Right. If you say so," Emma mumbled.

"They were sweaters, Emma. _Sweaters_," I said with emphasis, "Why the hell did you lose control like that?"

Emma was silent. I waited expectantly for her answer, but none came. She rolled over, and a few minutes later she was softly snoring. Emma had clearly avoided my question. But why?

I began to get the feeling that there was more to her sudden dislike of Cathy than a couple sweaters.

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**A/N-** What's this, you ask? This is another chapter! And it comes to you less than a year after the previous one! It's utterly shocking! Again, pardon any grammatical and spelling errors. I'm certain there are comma splices and dangling modifiers lurking throughout this chapter. As always, reviews are infinitely appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer-** Alas, I own nothing.

**Thank you, thank you, thank you! The reviews were lovely! : ) **

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 10-

It was decided that Emma and I were to spend our detentions sorting, cleaning, and reorganizing the Potions dungeon. The job would last us the week. Cathy, on the other hand, would be doing odd jobs with Filch. Flitwick thought it would be best if we did not serve detention with Cathy. He worried that another round of muggle dueling would ensue.

When we arrived for our final night of detention, we discovered that the last Potions class of the day thought it was necessary to undo nearly half the work we had done earlier in the week. I groaned despairingly at the mess.

"We're never going to get all the work done," Emma sighed in resign, "Two wand-less witches cannot do this in one night."

The two of us started working diligently in hopes of making a sizeable dent on the mess. After about ten minutes, footsteps and voices could be heard approaching us. I turned around in time to see Sirius and Peter Pettigrew enter the room.

"Are we late?" Peter asked meekly, eyeing the mess.

"Yes," Emma growled.

"Better late than never!" Sirius said cheerfully.

Emma glared at Sirius before she turned back to her work. She didn't seem very pleased about the extra help. In fact, she seemed mildly irritated by the newcomers. Emma's icy mood created a long bout of quiet cleaning.

"So," Sirius said, breaking the silence, "What did you do to get this detention?"

"You didn't hear?" I asked in surprise.

"Should I have?" he questioned.

"We had a 'muggle duel,'" Emma said irritably, making quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

Both Sirius and Peter looked mildly amused by the news.

"_Emma_ got in a muggle duel," I corrected, "I was just an innocent bystander."

"An innocent bystander who got her nose broke," Emma added.

"That doesn't sound very innocent," Sirius smirked.

"I was simply trying to break it up," I said.

The four of us worked attentively for almost an hour. Conversation was sparse during this time. Sirius and Peter occasionally made jokes, but the majority of the "conversation" was due to Emma barking orders at everyone. She had taken the role as leader (note that leader may be interchangeable with slave driver).

"Eww," Sirius whispered, holding up a jar.

"If it looks like it has gone bad," Emma said rigidly, "make sure you dispose of it."

Instead of listening to Emma's instructions, Sirius held the jar up to the light. The contents looked decades old and half-gelatinous. Blank toad eyes were suspended in the liquid-goop which gave the jar an eerie aura. After glancing at the look of disgust on my face, Sirius's eyes lit up and an impish grin erupted on his face.

I was not the only one to notice the change in Sirius's expression. Emma and Peter both were staring at Sirius. While Emma looked wary and suspicious, Peter looked eager.

"Throw it out," Emma bit out, "It's just a jar of old toad eyes. Get rid of it."

Sirius let out a low chuckle and tossed the jar carelessly in the air. Emma's eyes widened as the jar spiraled upwards only to be caught effortlessly by Sirius. Peter let out a loud laugh as Sirius stared at Emma with a maniacal look in his eyes.

"Give me the jar. If you won' get rid of it, I will," she snipped.

"No, I don't think so. You seem a bit grumpy, Emma," Sirius drawled dangerously, "You should really learn to loosen up."

Emma looked extremely nervous. Her eyes were trained on Sirius's hands which were now unscrewing the lid of the jar.

"Sirius," I said hesitantly, "What exactly are you doing?"

"Just toss it, already!" Emma snapped harshly, grabbing for the rubbish bin.

Sirius looked gleeful when she spat out her final order. Apparently, he had just received the invitation he had been anxiously awaiting.

"If you say so!"

Sirius jerked the open jar into the air. Before tossing the jar at the rubbish bin Emma had put in front of her as a shield, most of the contents had become airborne. I let out a gasp and clenched my eyes shut when I felt the cold toad-eye jelly splatter all over my head, dripping on to my shoulders. When I opened my eyes, I found that everyone had, in fact, been covered with the same nauseating, smelly goop.

"Not one of your better ideas, Padfoot," Peter commented dryly, his eyes still shut as the jelly slid down his face.

"I'll admit that there were some flaws," Sirius assented.

Emma glowered at him as he shook his head, causing a fresh spray of toad-eye gunk to fly in the air.

"_Some?_" Emma muttered darkly.

It took us almost thirty minutes to clean up the mess Sirius had made. Emma was infuriated, and I was on the receiving end of all her anger. She glared at me as though the whole mess was my fault. It was obvious she thought I was guilty by association. It would have been much more bearable if I actually was associated. Sadly, I don't think I can rightfully claim any blame because my only crime is fancying the trouble maker.

"You have a toad eye in your hair, Robin," Sirius commented as he walked by me.

My hands flew to my head. Even though I was mildly disturbed that I had a ridiculously old toad eye caught in my hair, I was caught off guard by Sirius directly addressing me and making eye contact for the first time almost all night. It made my stomach squirm happily.

"Did I get it?" I asked, meeting only the gazes of Peter and Sirius seeing as Emma was still seething.

Peter shook his head, "Still there."

I started raking my hands through my goop-encrusted hair again. My face turned a brilliant shade of red when Sirius reached out his hand to pick the toad eye from my hair. His hand brushed mine when he extracted the old eye. I felt completely ludicrous even accepting the tingling on the back of my hand.

"Got it," Sirius grinned at me, holding the toad eye up like a trophy.

I met Emma's gaze. She rolled her eyes at me, but she also had a small smile on her face. Her lips quickly curved into a frown when Sirius threw the eyeball at the bin next to her. The eye missed its target, instead hitting Emma on the side of the head.

"You're lucky I don't have my wand," she said irritably.

"Are you always this mean to people?" Sirius questioned sharply, "Or is it just me?"

"You're a special case," she answered, holding a shard of the broken jar in the air.

"Emma's just had a bad week," I said quickly.

Emma sighed loudly, clearly not appreciating that I came to her defense. Peter gave me a sympathetic look before he finished restocking the shelves.

It was after ten when we finally finished detention. Emma was in much better spirits when I pointed out that showers were now within reach. She was so much happier that she even apologized to Sirius for being rude. I must admit that I was highly offended. Emma never apologizes to me for anything.

Sirius and Peter turned in the direction of the Entrance Hall after we left the Potions Dungeon. I had an inner-battle with myself, and I tried valiantly to repress my nosy streak. They were definitely not going back to the Gryffindor tower, and I really wanted to know why. Damn my nosiness!

"Where are you two going?" I burst out loudly.

The two of them stopped in their tracks.

"Out," Sirius responded vaguely.

"You just got out of detention. Are you that eager to get another?" I asked.

"Maybe I am," Sirius grinned.

They walked away from Emma and me. She poked my arm impatiently, but I stood rooted in place. I wanted to follow him. It didn't end well the last time I did so, though. Just when I was about to follow Emma, who had started to walk away from me and back to the Ravenclaw tower, Sirius turned his head. His toothy grin was the only thing I could see as he and Peter disappeared into the darkness.

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"You know, Robin, I'm surprised that over a week has passed and no harm has befallen your cat," Emma said thoughtfully.

My friend looked on fondly as Dog stood up from gnawing the corner of Cathy's Transfiguration book to urinate on our roommate's pillow.

"I'd stop her if I wasn't so damn proud," she commented wistfully.

"Her mission is admirable," I agreed as my cat proceeded to sharpen her claws on Cathy's bedpost.

"It's almost like she knows Cathy deserves it," Emma added.

I stared down at the parchment in front of me. There were already two entries made which left my request last. I was so distracted by the prospect of a trip to the owlery that I couldn't think of a dish I would like at Christmas. Due to Clara's picky eating habits, our Aunt Maggie (James's mother) always asks each us for a certain dish to have prepared for Christmas dinner. I was certain that John purposely made me last on the food list. He knows how much I hate going to the owlery.

In fact, John finds my fear of owls so highly amusing that he makes a point of buying me a stuffed owl for at least one holiday every year. I was seven when he gave me the first one. He had perched it above my bed before I went to sleep. Needless to say, that owl caused several tears and a blood-curdling scream. My parents didn't find the trick cruel in the slightest. They thought it was an opportunity for personal growth; I thought it was an opportunity for them to make their favoritism known.

"You're going to the owlery, aren't you?" I asked Emma casually.

"Nope," she said, "Just sent my letter out yesterday."

Bugger.

I plucked up all the courage I possessed to leave the safety of the Ravenclaw tower. I tried to distract my mind with other thoughts as I walked towards the owlery. It didn't work very well. Every time I would get a pleasant image in my head, it seemed like a bird with massive eyes and a lethally sharp beak would pop its ugly head in the way.

The sickening crunch of tiny bones under my foot made my stomach lurch unpleasantly. I had arrived at the destination I dreaded. I kept my gaze at eye level to avoid looking at the hundreds of owls that were above me. I spotted an owl straight ahead of me that looked like a possible candidate for my letter delivery.

"You," I hissed.

The tawny owl was flapping her wings at me. It was the same patronizing owl that I had encountered at the beginning of the year. She obviously still found it fun to mock me. In an attempt to show my superiority, I quickly tried to catch her off-guard by snatching her leg. I let out a shriek when the owl snapped her beak at my hand.

"You're a winged devil," I told her.

My heart was thumping loudly in my chest. The owl and I were staring each other down. I knew that I had one more chance to show her who was boss. As terrifying as the idea was, I had to try to catch her again.

My hand shot out again at her leg. Instead of just snapping her beak, she made contact with my thumb. I yelped when her pinching beak finally broke the skin. I back-pedaled so quickly to get away from the owl that I slipped on what I assume was the rib cage of a small rodent. I landed on my back with a loud crunch.

I held my eyes shut because I feared what I would see when I opened them. The fiends would probably be circling above me like vultures, just waiting to pick me apart like carrion.

"Are you okay?" someone asked worriedly.

I slowly opened one eye to see my rescuer. A curtain of red hair hung around Lily's face as she stared down at me anxiously.

"Yeah, I, er, just had a disagreement with an owl," I said.

Lily gave me her hand and pulled me from the ground. My eyes darted around the owlery to see if the birds were circling yet. Lily gave me another worried look before brushing dirt and bone fragments off my back.

"Just curious," she started slowly, "But why exactly were you on the ground?"

"The fiend attacked me!" I said indignantly, holding my bleeding thumb up.

"You're not good with owls, are you?" Lily asked dryly.

"One could say that," I answered.

She glanced at the letter clutched in my other hand, then asked, "Do you need help mailing that?"

"Yes," I said eagerly, "I mean, only if you don't mind."

"It's no problem," she said easily.

Lily walked over to the tawny owl that had been eluding me. Just as I was about to tell her about the nasty demeanor of that particular bird, the owl hopped happily on to Lily's arm and hooted pleasantly at her. My mouth hung half-open as I watched the owl allow Lily to not only tie the letter on its leg, but stroke its head affectionately.

"How did you do that?" I gasped.

"Do what?"

"That owl! That's the second time I've tried to use her, and she won't even let me touch her," I said.

"It's all in how you approach them," Lily said, walking towards me with the owl, "Here, try to pet her now."

I reached out my hand hesitantly. I was extremely surprised when the owl let me touch her.

"See," Lily beamed at me, "You just need to work on your technique."

"Amazing," I whispered, stroking the owl.

Without warning, the owl suddenly turned her head and bit my hand for a second time. I found myself on the ground once again.

"Bugger!"

Lily's eyes widened in shock as the owl hooted angrily and took off. I grasped my twice-bitten hand while cursing the owl.

"I've never seen an owl go at someone like that before," she said in amazement.

"That's good to know," I said sarcastically.

"I'm afraid that owls must just hate you, Robin," Lily said, trying to hold back laughter, "You really _aren't_ good with them."

I couldn't help but laugh a little myself. It was contagious. Lily smiled, offering me another hand off the ground. She proceeded to flick bone fragments off my back again.

It was at that moment that I realized why James had been pursuing her for so long. She was a genuinely good person. Most people would have made me feel like an idiot for being bitten by the same owl and scared to the point of falling on my arse twice all within the same six minutes. She could have easily rolled her eyes at me like Emma or mocked me like John. Lily didn't, though; and for that, I was thankful.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Robin! Robin! _Robin!_"

I looked up from my Potions essay to find James beckoning me to join him. He was yelling at me from the Gryffindor table between gasps of laughter. Tears of mirth were streaming down his face as he beckoned me over.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

I noticed that James was not the only one laughing at the Gryffindor table. Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, and a few others were laughing as well. I stared at my cousin in confusion. Seconds later a picture was thrust into my hand.

"Look at what the crazy old bat sent me," John said.

My brother looked like he was torn between laughing and dying of embarrassment. When I examined what he had handed me, I understood why. The picture was of two ferrets sitting in front of what looked like a miniature table with a birthday cake in front of them. I recognized Lawrence immediately. He had a tiny party hat on. Louise did not have a hat; however, she did have the meanest expression I've ever seen on a weasel.

"What the bloody hell is this?" I asked in aghast.

"Turn it over," John instructed grimly.

_Happy 15__th __ birthday, Josh! Hope it's a good one!_

_Love, your Great Auntie Esther _

"You're not fifteen," I said after recovering from the shock of the birthday card.

"Not fifteen? Robin, it's not even my birthday! My birthday is months away!" John exclaimed, "And did you miss that she got my name wrong?!"

"Oh," I said, reading it again, "She did, didn't she? That's not really out of the ordinary, though."

"Merlin, I hope I get a card as good as that when my birthday rolls around," James laughed.

"Hell, you'll probably get a birthday card for Christmas," I said, finally laughing myself.

"D'you think she has a whole line of ferret birthday cards?" Sirius pondered aloud.

"Probably," James guffawed, "It does suit Esther's personality remarkably well."

"I can't believe she even got my name wrong," John said dejectedly.

"Look on the bright side," James crowed happily, "At least it was close. She's been calling Robin 'Lucille' for years! And that was only after people corrected the old woman so many times for calling her 'Lewis!'"

I glared at James. Everyone was in fresh peals of laughter.

"True,"John said, sounding cheered up.

"Is this the aunt staying over the holidays with you?" Remus asked.

"Unfortunately," James muttered, suddenly serious.

"Speaking of which," I said, "We have a furry little problem that needs discussed."

Remus blanched, his eyes turning to the size of dinner plates. I gave him a funny look. Noticing this, James quickly explained.

"Remus has a furry little problem, too," he said, "A devilish little rabbit."

"Yeah," Sirius added, "Causes loads of problems for him. It's terribly misbehaved."

"So hard to control," Peter remarked.

I stared at the three of them. Remus must have one hell of a rabbit.

"Oh, well, I'm talking about our weasel problem," I said, making sure I was more precise.

"Are we using dungbombs again?" John asked eagerly.

"No, no," James said nonchalantly, "Mom got her knickers in a twist about it last time. I was thinking that we could just use magic. You know, put the little buggers in full-body binds and stick 'em in a sock drawer for the week."

"Aunt Esther would notice," I pointed out.

"How? After her last visit my entire sock drawer was full of Lawrence droppings. The stupid little wanker ate all my chocolate frogs and jelly beans," he argued.

"Why don't you just use charms to keep them out of your room?" Remus suggested.

"Too tricky," James said, "It would end up blocking other things."

"Like Dog," I offered.

"Believe me," James said, "I wouldn't be upset about _that_ in the least."

"I vote to just make their deaths look like an accident," John proclaimed.

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" Lily said.

"You've never experienced a week with Lawrence," James said darkly.

"He can't be that bad. It's just an animal," she disagreed.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. It was clear that James had shared stories of his time spent with Lawrence.

"Imagine this," James instructed, "Really get the image in your head; close your eyes if you must. Lawrence, this little weasel, he's like a ghost. This is no ordinary ferret. It's like he's everywhere at once; in the sock drawer, the laundry, the lavatory. He is _everywhere_."

"Especially at night," I remarked, "It's like he moves at the speed of light."

"You cannot imagine the terror," he continued, "There is nothing quite like waking in the dead of night to a giggling weasel running about in your bed. Couches and toilets aren't even safe. Nowhere is sacred! The beast stops at nothing!"

"Oh please, James," Lily scoffed, "You're exaggerating."

"He isn't," John piped up, "I suffered from recurring nightmares when I was younger because of Lawrence. I was afraid to sleep. I had to take dreamless draughts until I was twelve."

"It's true," I said, "He wouldn't even sleep in his own room for a year."

"Merlin, how old is this ferret?" Peter asked.

"Ancient," James drawled, "And he's still going strong."

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Sometimes I felt like all my life was composed of was essays and prefect rounds. Honestly, how important is it that we patrol the corridors? Does it really matter if students are out of bed? So what if they want to sneak about a bit or go snog in an empty classroom. I see no harm.

Spending hours and hours a year wandering around dark corridors seems rather pointless to me, not to mention a gigantic waste of time. The only people I have ever met that take their duties serious enough to find rounds productive are Jake and Renee. Other than the two of them, nobody really cares. Merlin, if a kid wants to explore a little, just let him! It's not like he is trying to burn the place down, not that he could anyway.

Not only that, but there are people like the "Marauders" who are going to completely ignore the rules time after time anyway. It doesn't really matter if we take off a few points or hand out detentions. I could be doing my Transfiguration homework right now. That is a much better use of my time. Perhaps I'm just feeling rather frustrated this—

"BOO!"

I yelped at the sound and threw my elbow out behind me.

"MERLIN'S BEARD, ROBIN!"

I lit my wand to find Sirius clutching his face. I had apparently elbowed him in the face. It also appeared as though I bloodied his nose. Crimson liquid was seeping between his fingers.

I stared at him in shock. I was so appalled with myself. This might hinder my plan of getting him to fall madly in love with me. I don't think that giving him a bloody nose will make me more appealing. It did, however, make me feel immensely guilty and embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry! You startled me, and I thought maybe it was James because he's the only person that ever ambushes me during rounds. He knows that I throw elbows, and—oh, I'm so, so sorry, Sirius. I feel terrible. I didn't think I would actually hit you. I'm so sorry. I thought it was James, and I thought you would duck. I'm so sorry. Do you need to go to the hospital wing?" I rambled.

"No, no, no. I'm fine. Just a bloody nose," he assured me, "Don't worry about it. It was an accident."

"I'm sorry," I apologized again.

"It was my fault. I snuck up on you," he said.

Sirius was still clutching his bleeding nose. I felt terribly guilty. This was certainly going to eliminate any chance I ever had with him. Who the bloody hell cracks the bloke she fancies in the nose during the middle of the night?

. . .

The kind of girl that is being snuck up upon by the bloke she fancies. . .

"What exactly are you doing out in the corridors at this time of night?" I asked casually.

Sirius looked up at me from between his hands. He looked like he was at a loss (which suited him well, I must say; although, I may be biased).

"Going to the library," he said gruffly, rubbing his nose.

"You're going to the library at eleven thirty at night?" I said skeptically, "It couldn't wait until morning."

His eyebrows knitted together as he stared at me. He looked as surprised as I felt at my sudden ability to speak coherently in front of him without making a fool out of myself or turning red.

"No, very urgent," he responded.

He stood up straight and let his hands fall from his face. His hands were covered in blood, and there was an obvious trail of blood from his nose to his bottom lip where his hands had stopped the flow.

"This is an awfully long route to the library from Gryffindor tower," I pointed out, suddenly aware of our location.

"I like a night time stroll every now and then," Sirius said defensively, dabbing at the blood on his face with his robe.

I stared at him curiously. It would seem as though he were seeking me out, but for what reason? I'm not naïve enough to assume he came to profess his undying love for me (I passed that stage about a month ago). Whatever his business with me was, he seemed to be mildly out of his element now. It was rather enjoyable, if I must admit it. I'm used to being the one under suspicion.

"I guess I should let you get on with your business in the library then," I said, using all my personal strength to walk away from the boy I wanted to snog (even with the bloody nose).

"You're just going to let me go?" he called after me.

"Well, you said it was urgent," I responded, "Plus, it's obvious that detention is a waste of time. You obviously haven't learned from it. You're out here, aren't you?"

I heard a bark of laughter from behind me.

"You're an awful prefect, you know that?"

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**A/N-** It took a little longer than I had first projected to get this chapter up. I must admit that I'm not completely pleased with it, but I need to move on before my creativity dies a painful death due to excessive editing and rewriting. Sorry about the errors. I'm sure there are some this time. Thank you for all the reviews on the previous chapters. Please review! Especially all you lurkers! I know you're out there!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer-** I am just a mere fan fiction writer, folks.

**Thank you so very much for all the reviews! I really appreciate every single one.**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 11- 

"No."

I stared at my brother in disbelief. I had barely even touched the seat next to him before he shot me down.

"What do you mean?" I asked nonchalantly.

John raised his eyebrow. I smiled nervously, smearing jam on a piece of toast and offering it to him.

"Robin, Robin, Robin," he sighed, taking a bite of the toast, "You and I both know why you're here, and it's not because you wanted to join your big brother for breakfast."

"I'm offended, John," I told him, "All I wanted to do was spend some quality time with you. I have just been feeling like we haven't gotten enough 'together' time lately. It's your last year at Hogwarts, and I feel like we've been wasting this precious—"

"How much do you need?" John interrupted.

"Only a few galleons," I said automatically.

"A few galleons?" he repeated, aghast, "Merlin, Robin, I'm not Gringotts!"

"I'll pay you back," I promised.

"Why don't you ask one of your friends to lend you money?" he asked irritably.

"Emma already told me she doesn't have any extra money to give me," I answered.

"Ask someone else," John suggested.

"Er…"

John stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to offer up a name. He suddenly smiled widely at me.

"You don't have any other friends," he grinned, "You went from a social butterfly to a friendless worm in a matter of three years. Robin, you've metamorphosed backwards."

His smile grew as he watched the look of horror spread across my face.

"I've got plenty of friends," I said defensively.

"Name three," challenged my brother.

"Emma, James—"

"Family doesn't count," he interjected.

"Er, well, I have Emma," I started again, "And… Dog."

John let out a loud guffaw.

"Are you honestly counting your cat?" he laughed, "Are you really that desperate?"

I glared at my brother, but he continued to laugh in my face.

"I have plenty of friends," I repeated lamely.

"You do not," John argued, "You can't even name three!"

"Define friend," I said carefully.

"Seriously?" he questioned.

I stared at my brother unwaveringly. He laughed again at my expression. Despite how frustrated I was, I didn't cave. He sighed impatiently at me.

"Someone who would lend you money if you needed it," John said, "Someone who would save you from a rampaging hippogriff, keeps your secrets, accepts your flaws… You know, that sort of thing."

I stared at the table intently. I wasn't sure that many people would save me from a rampaging hippogriff.

"I'll make you a deal," John said slowly, "If you can find five people by the end of the day, excluding Emma and James, who count you as a friend, I will lend you the money."

"You're on," I said confidently.

My brother smirked at me, ruffled my hair in an over-exaggerated manner, and walked away. I was feeling fairly pleased for a moment until I realized that John had snatched my last quill when I wasn't paying attention. I frowned at my pile of books; it looked naked without a quill sitting on top.

"Great," I mumbled to myself.

I gathered my books, hastily shoving them in my bag before leaving the Great Hall for Charms. Despite being a little irritated by my brother's thievery, being quill-less would be helpful on my friend quest.

On my way to Professor Flitwick's classroom, I was delighted to see the forms of a pretty, redheaded girl and a thin, tall boy walking ahead of me. Even though James didn't technically count as a friend, Lily Evans was fair game.

"Hello!" I greeted James and Lily happily.

"Hi, Robin," Lily returned as I sidled up next to her.

"You're cheerful this morning," James commented.

"Well, it's a wonderful day to be alive," I said exuberantly, causing my cousin to give me a befuddled stare.

"Right," he said, "What's up with you? Did Lawrence snuff it or something?"

"No," I said sadly, "Although, that would make today even better. Do you have a spare quill, Lily?"

Lily started rummaging through her bag for a quill. Before she was able to pull one out, James was holding out a quill to me.

"Is your name Lily?" I asked him.

"Er, no," James said, "But I have a spare quill that you can use."

"That doesn't count. We're family," I waved him off.

My cousin lowered his quill and shook his head at me.

"Here you go," Lily said, finally producing a quill from her bag, "The top might be a bit ruffled up, but it will do."

"Thanks, Lily! You're such a great _friend_," I said, putting emphasis on the last word.

James was staring shrewdly at me now. I shrugged my shoulders at him, but he continued to stare.

"You're up to something, Robin Willows," he accused, pointing his finger at me.

"Merlin, James! All she did was ask to borrow a quill," Lily said impatiently.

"Yeah," I chimed in, "And that's what _friends_ do for each other; they lend out their quills."

"Exactly," she agreed.

A triumphant grin spread across on my face. Ha! I do have friends. I only have to find four more people who consider me as a friend by the end of the day.

The three of us arrived in Charms just a few seconds before the start of class. I took my seat by Sirius, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. He was my next friend target. Even if I was having a little trouble getting him to fall in love with me, I imagined that earning the title of friend would be easier.

Because of the upcoming holidays, Flitwick decided to give us a little fun during class. He handed out Christmas ornaments and instructed us put any kind of festive charm on them that we could think of.

Temporarily ignoring my ornament, I turned to Sirius. He was flicking through his book for ideas, clearly unaware that I was fixated on him.

"Would you save me if I was being attacked by a rampaging hippogriff?" I asked casually, poking my ornament.

He snapped his book shut and stared at me.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Sirius questioned.

"I'm talking about the possibility of getting mauled by a dangerous creature," I said simply, "A rampaging hippogriff to be exact. Would you save me?"

"Why are you getting attacked by a hippogriff? Did you insult it?"

"That's not the point," I explained, "I just want to know if you would save me from a raging hippogriff."

"It _is_ the point," Sirius argued, "It's very unlikely that a hippogriff will just attack you out of nowhere. If you did something to provoke it, the whole situation would change."

"Okay," I sighed, "Let's say that I'm just walking through the forest, and then I suddenly get mauled by a crazy hippogriff. Would you save me from said hippogriff?"

"You only said that _you_ were walking in the forest," Sirius pointed out, "Even if I did somehow know where you were, maybe I wouldn't save you. That's rather rude of you to not invite me on your walk, and then to expect me to save you when you get attacked by a hippogriff, don't you think? I can't just stop everything at the drop of a hat to save you from a hippogriff."

I ran my hand over my face. He was being difficult on purpose.

"So you're saying that you would let the hippogriff kill me?" I asked him.

"I'm sure it won't come down to that," he assured me, charming his ornament to belt out Christmas carols, "Just don't insult any hippogriffs, Robin."

I stared at singing ornament, and then I glanced down at my own. It flashed holiday greetings and sparkled brightly. Needless to say, it wasn't comparable to Sirius's singing ornament.

"Show off," I muttered dejectedly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finding friends was not as easy as I thought. Lily, unfortunately, was the only kind person to claim me as a friend. I must admit that it was a little disheartening. Not everyone else was as considerate as her.

In fact, Mary-Ann Lewis was not considerate at all. She seems to harbor some bitter feelings towards me, actually. When I asked her if she would keep a secret if I shared it with her, she responded by saying that not only would she not keep it, but she would tell everyone that she knew and hope that they would spread it around to the point that it became twisted enough that everyone thought I was pregnant with Filch's baby.

That was mildly upsetting, but Mary-Ann hasn't really been fond of me since our third year when Dog ate her injured owl when I was supposed to be babysitting it while she was in the hospital wing. Coincidentally, she was in the infirmary due to a spell I tried to perform on her to give her colored streaks in her hair. _Witch Weekly_ doesn't always have the most reliable instructions, or so I have found. Instead of colored streaks, I ended up gave her third-degree burns all over her scalp.

I guess that just goes to show that time does not heal everything. Maybe ten years from now Mary-Ann will want to be friends again.

Justin Thompson didn't seem very keen on the idea of being friends, either. I asked him the same question that I asked Sirius. He laughed at me. Justin felt that a hippogriff attack would be what I deserved for loving a monster like Dog. He then brought up the time that my cat attacked him in fourth year. He claims that I yelled at him for beating Dog off his head after she sneak attacked him from the top of a shelf in the common room.

When I explained that abusing my cat was very unkind, he walked away from me. He still doesn't believe that she was just trying to play. Dog is a vivacious cat, and that's all there is to it.

My morning was slowly spiraling downwards. I hit an all time low when Jake Addams shot me down in Herbology. He said that he didn't want to be associated with someone who didn't take responsibility seriously. He did offer me his friendship if I started to show some initiative with my prefect duties, though. I accidentally laughed at him, and that caused him to revoke his offer.

By the time lunch rolled around, I felt pretty pathetic. Not only was I at a loss to find friends, but Emma had skipped lunch to work on the Transfiguration essay that was due the next morning. She insisted that she had to get to the library right away.

Personally, I think she might not eat anymore. She spends half of her meal times studying in the bloody library. I suspect she might have recently become a vampire, and that "going to the library" is code for "feeding on unsuspecting students." I also haven't ruled out photosynthesis yet. Freak accidents happen in green houses, too. Don't let the sunny atmosphere give you a false sense of security.

I stared at my sandwich sadly. I didn't really want to eat my only company.

"You look sad, Tweet," Clara said, suddenly appearing to sit across from me.

"Ever feel like nobody likes you?" I asked my sister despondently.

She paused for a second.

"No, I have loads of friends. It doesn't look like you have any friends at all, though, Tweet," she said sadly.

Even my little sister could tell I was pathetic. Clara began to pat my hand sympathetically.

Apparently my sister was really popular. Within two minutes of leaving her table, I found myself surrounded by twelve-year olds. Her friends had come to see why she hadn't returned to them. It was like she was their leader.

I soon found myself getting free therapy from a group of second year Hufflepuffs. They were very concerned. A boy named Greg Powell assured me that I had plenty of friends because strangers were just friends I hadn't met yet. He suggested that I go meet new people. I found his exceedingly optimistic attitude a tad bit disconcerting; my sister, on the other hand, found it positively dreamy.

"Yeah, you're _so_ right," Clara agreed passionately, causing Greg to puff out his chest.

Every other girl in the group began to fervently agree with Clara. This caused the rest of the boys, who wanted to be liked by the girls, to also strongly agree. I was surrounded by a group of twelve-year olds that were stuck in some awful time continuum that induced them to say "Yeah," "Totally," and "_So_ true" over and over whilst nodding incessantly.

"Right," I said loudly, interrupting the never-ending agreeing, "I have to go now. Thanks for, er, having lunch with me."

After Greg Powell pledged his never-ending friendship to me, I was released from the Hufflepuff cluster that had formed at my house's table. I left the Great Hall to a chorus of praise for Greg, and I began to wonder if I was that annoying at the age of twelve.

I made my way towards the library in hopes of finding some sane company. I was thoroughly disappointed to find that Emma was nowhere to be seen. Her absence was beginning to make my vampire theory even more plausible.

Despite not finding Emma, I found some other friend opportunities in the library. Remus Lupin was sitting at a table with Peter Pettigrew, a book lying open between them.

"Hello!" I greeted loudly, earning a hiss of disapproval from Madam Pince.

The two boys nodded in acknowledgment at me, and Peter kicked out a chair for me to sit in.

"What brings you to the library today?" Remus asked, "Trying to find a hiding place for some incriminating evidence?"

"No, I was actually just looking for Emma," I answered, doing another scan of the library.

"You just missed her," Peter said, "She left with John a few minutes ago."

"John?" I repeated, "My brother?"

"Yeah, he tutors her in Arthimancy," Peter explained.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed, "Emma's brilliant. The day she needs a tutor is the day James befriends Snape."

"Maybe she doesn't want you to know she's struggling," Remus suggested, closing his book.

I wanted to laugh. Emma never struggles in school. She is annoyingly clever, especially when it comes to Ancient Runes and Potions. The only thing that I'm better at than her is Charms. I took a second to consider what Remus had said, though. If, by some freak chance, Emma was actually struggling in a class, it's likely that she would guard that secret with her life. She prides herself on her ability to pick up difficult subjects with ease.

"I guess that makes sense," I agreed, "She can be arrogant about her intelligence sometimes. Struggling in a class would be the ultimate embarrassment for her."

There was a brief silence while Remus looked over an essay that Peter passed him. Quickly forgetting about the possibility of my best friend's internal struggles with Arithmancy, I began to concoct ideas in my head as to how I could approach Remus and Peter about my friend quest.

"If I needed a friend to look to over my work for me, would you do it?" I asked.

"Do you need some help with an essay?" Remus questioned casually.

"No, this is just a hypothetical situation," I told him.

"That's a strange hypothetical situation to bring up," he murmured, twirling his quill as he stared at the parchment, "Any particular reason you ask?"

"Nope, not at all," I said quickly, "No reason at all. Just you know, asking around in case the situation was to arise so I would have someone to rely on. That's all. Purely hypothetical."

"Despite what your brother might say, you do have friends," Remus remarked calmly, scratching out a sentence on Peter's essay.

I turned crimson at his words. It would seem as though John was having a laugh at my expense with the other Gryffindors.

"What?" I said nervously, "Of course, I do. Why would you think I was thinking that?"

"John thought his bet with you was rather clever," Remus informed me, "Personally, I find it cruel to make someone think that they have nobody to count on. Don't let your brother make you think you don't have friends, though. You have plenty."

"Like who?" I challenged miserably, "The only person I could think of was Emma when he asked me."

"If someone were to ask me the same question, your name would come to mind," he said, giving me a small smile, "I assure you that you have a number of friends in Gryffindor, and I count myself among them."

"I'd stay clear of the Hufflepuffs for a while, though," Peter whispered, jerking his thumb towards a group of students in the far corner, "Someone in that lot has been spreading a nasty rumor about you."

"A rumor?"

"Yes, it's about you and Filch," Peter said quietly, "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't believe it for a second. I think all of Hogwarts knows that you fancy Sirius."

"That actually does make me feel better. Thanks, Peter," I smiled.

"Any time," he said, rolling up his essay.

"So you would save me from a rampaging hippogriff?" I said hopefully.

"I suppose so," Peter paused, "But why are you being attacked by a hippogriff? Did you insult it?"

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Substantially cheered up by Remus and Peter, I left my last class of the day feeling much happier. Even Emma was in good spirits. The two of us walked to dinner, joking about Dog's latest assault on the sixth year girl's dormitory. Why the house elves even bothered to replace our curtains was a mystery.

"I'm starving," Emma groaned, loading her plate with food.

"How did your essay go, by the way?" I questioned nonchalantly.

"Great," answered Emma, "I'm sure it'll get full marks."

"You're doing well in all your classes, I take it?" I commented flippantly.

"Naturally," she responded easily, "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," I said.

Emma began eating. Actually, eating is not the word for it. I think the term "inhaling" would be more accurately describe what she was doing to her food. I was pleased to see that she had her appetite back. Her voracious eating did deflate the credibility of my vampire theory a bit, though.

"Hello, my wayward butterfly," John greeted boisterously, plopping himself down beside me.

He startled me, and it would appear that I was not the only one to be caught off guard. Emma choked on her food, quickly washing it down with a long gulp of pumpkin juice. John gave her a funny look before casually taking food from my plate.

"Hi, John," I said, notably less enthusiastic, "Did you need something?"

"Names, little sister, give me names," he said happily, "I need to know if I should crack open my vault at Gringotts."

Oh. I had nearly forgotten his challenge due to my sudden, violently good mood.

"Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew, and Greg Powell," I said proudly.

I felt a twinge of inexplicable worry in the pit of my stomach when John beamed at me. Something was not in my favor.

"That's only four," John said smugly, "Looks like you won't be doing any Christmas shopping this weekend after all."

Bugger.

My stomach sank as I realized that I had miscounted. I must have accidentally counted a failed attempt at some point during the day. I was embarrassed, for about the hundredth time, by my brother.

"First you want me to save you from a rampaging hippogriff," Sirius sighed impatiently, squeezing in a seat between John and me, "Now you don't even remember my name when you're listing off all your friends. You remember some little wanker named Greg, but you can't be bothered to think of me. I'm beginning to feel like I'm unimportant in your life, Robin."

I gaped at Sirius. It didn't take me long to figure out why he was here. When I turned back to look at the Gryffindor table, I found that Remus was smiling and holding up his goblet of pumpkin juice at me.

I focused my attention on my brother now. He looked as though someone had slapped him across the face.

"Sorry, Sirius," I said unsurely, staring at my brother as I spoke, "Just slipped my mind."

"It seems like it was just yesterday that you fancied the pants off me," he remarked, "Now I'm just the constantly forgotten friend who you can't even bother to invite on a leisurely stroll."

A grin slowly spread across my features. John looked positively grumpy as I held out my hand expectantly.

"How much?" he grumbled, reaching in his pocket.

"Six galleons ought to do it," I said cheerfully.

Angry red splotches erupted on his cheeks. He grimaced as he dropped six gold coins into my outstretched hand. Without even saying good-bye, my brother walked out of the Great Hall moodily.

"You better buy me a bloody good Christmas present with that," Sirius said, pointing at the gold.

"What makes you think I'm buying you a gift?" I asked in affronted tones.

"I thought you just said we were friends," he said indignantly.

I opened my mouth to retort, but I found that I had nothing to say. Sirius flashed me a grin that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter happily.

"I'm glad that's settled," he said cheerfully, "I swear I won't even peep in your bags when we're at Hogsmeade."

"_We_?" I repeated slowly.

His eyes widened when he registered what I had said.

"Meaning if we happen to run into each other at the Three Broomsticks or something, I won't look in your bags," he said hurriedly, "That sort of thing; nothing like a date or anything, just coincidental meetings."

"Right," I said, sounding mildly put out.

"Did you—er," he started.

"No, no, of course not," I said quickly.

"Right," he muttered, "Good, that's good."

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence. Thankfully, James called for Sirius. With a sigh of what I could only imagine was relief, Sirius motioned towards his table. I nodded and waved good-bye. More words were not the solution in this situation.

"_That_ was awkward," Emma remarked.

"Shut up," I mumbled, covering my eyes with my hands as if I could block the mental reruns in my mind.

"Talk about sexual tension," she snorted.

"Oh, bugger off, Emma," I snapped.

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**A/N-** Four chapters all in the same year?! It's madness! Regardless of how crazy this updating phenomenon is, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will admit that the only real purpose it served was to develop character relationships (both the romantic and platonic sort). Also, a quick note: James Potter was actually made Head Boy in his seventh year despite not being a prefect, _according to canon_. There was a little confusion about that in a review so I figured that I would clear that up. Thanks a billion for all the lovely reviews. Please review (and I'm specifically targeting all you lurkers)!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer-** I don't own diddly-squat.

**Thanks a million for all the reviews! They were wonderful!**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 12- 

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Emma asked impatiently.

I glared at her. It was the third time in the last five minutes that she had returned to the dormitory. She was supposed to be waiting for me in the common room.

"My shoe is missing," I said miserably, "And it's not the only thing. Half of my wardrobe is gone."

"You look fine," Emma insisted hurriedly, "Let's go."

I stared in disbelief at Emma.

"Well, that's easy for you to say! Look at you," I pointed to her boots, jacket, and scarf, "You're all warm and toasty. I don't even have shoes!"

Emma sighed, finally joining the search for my shoe. After a few minutes of searching, she glanced furtively over her shoulder. Certain that we were the only ones in the dormitory, Emma walked over to Cathy's bed and pulled out a pair of boots.

"Found them!" she cried happily.

"Er," I started, "Those are Cathy's shoes."

"Exactly. C'mon, Robin. Throw 'em on so we can get to Hogsmeade," Emma said cheerfully.

"I don't need to give that girl another reason to hate me," I insisted, "I can't wear those."

"Put on the bloody boots! You won't even see her there," my friend said forcefully.

"I'm not sure that this is a good idea," I said reluctantly.

"Robin," Emma said lowly, her brown eyes narrowing, "You _will_ wear these boots. Cathy is a cow. Don't worry about her. She knows that I can kick her arse, with or without a wand. I don't think she'll give you any trouble with me around."

With that said, Emma shoved the boots into my hands. She made it quite apparent that I had no option. I stuffed my feet into my roommate's boots against my better judgment. Emma beamed at me.

"Why are you in such a hurry, anyway?" I grumbled, letting myself be dragged towards the Entrance Hall.

"No reason," she answered.

I snorted. There was certainly a reason.

There were dozens of students milling around the Entrance Hall when we arrived. People were waiting for their companions and dates. Near the doors, Filch was breaking up a duel between a couple third years. Unfortunately, the caretaker got caught in crossfire. Filch was utterly furious, but unable to stop laughing.

A head of chronically messy hair was soon bobbing towards me. Assuming that Lily would be with him, I was a little confused to see my cousin alone.

"Have you seen Lily?" James asked anxiously.

"No. Have you lost her already?" I questioned.

"She said she had to talk to Slughorn this morning. We were supposed to meet here, but I don't see her," he said worriedly, "This is supposed to be our first official date. You don't think she changed her mind, do you?"

"I'm sure she didn't, James. I think you've rather grown on her," I assured him, "You're like a bespectacled parasite."

James gave me a funny look. It looked like he was trying to figure out if my comment was meant to be a compliment.

A strange, strangled noise next to me pulled my attention to Emma. Her face was blank as she stared straight ahead. James had noticed this also. He turned his head to see what she was gaping at.

"Blimey," he whispered, "Your brother is quite the traitorous wanker, Robin."

I more than agreed with James. My mouth hung slightly open as I gazed at my brother. Cathy was simply hanging off him, leering (or smiling, depending on your personal view of her as a person) up at her new acquisition.

"He knows she is a cat-abusing tart!" I spat.

"That girl hates you," James said in astonishment, "She broke your nose and—"

"And he's snogging her!" I finished indignantly.

I was furious with my brother. Of all the girls in Hogwarts, he has to pick her. My stomach twisted uncomfortably as I imagined John bringing Cathy home to meet our parents. Dinner would be even worse than it normally is considering that the wench would probably try to poison me.

"I've just remembered that I need to go to the library," Emma said faintly.

I hurriedly turned my attention back to Emma. Her glassy eyes were still transfixed on John and Cathy.

"Emma, no," I said firmly, "You have to go to Hogsmeade. The library can wait."

One small tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away so quickly that I wondered if I had ever seen it in the first place. I suddenly realized why she was so upset. I put my hand on her arm comfortingly only to have her slither out of my grasp a second later.

"No," she snapped, finally facing me, "I'll see you later, Robin."

Emma held her head unusually high as she walked away. I felt slightly shocked. In our six years of friendship, I can count on one hand how many times I've seen Emma cry. I was certain that she wouldn't get any studying done in the library today. If anything, my friend might surrender to her human emotions in the corner of the restricted section.

"What a git," James said acidly.

I nodded numbly. I couldn't believe that my best friend fancied my brother, and I had only found out minutes ago. For being my best friend, I felt like I didn't even know her sometimes. One thing I did now for certain about Emma was that she wanted to be left alone right now.

I barely noticed when James waved good-bye to me. I stood by myself in the Entrance Hall, unsure of what to do. I knew I needed to leave in order to fight the urge to find Emma (which might result in her hexing me). I didn't particularly like the idea of wandering around Hogsmeade alone, but I needed to do my Christmas shopping. Also, if I stayed behind I know that Emma would be furious with me. She would think I was staying behind for her.

I sighed loudly, walking out of the castle completely by myself. The walk to Hogsmeade felt like it was miles long because I was alone. The wind bit sharply at my face, blowing my hair around me. By the time I finally arrived at the village, I was sincerely wishing that I had a hat. My ears felt like they were frostbitten.

I decided that Honeydukes was the best place to start my shopping. I immediately found Clara's gift, a giant box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. I was still feeling extremely hostile towards my brother so I decided that Cockroach Clusters were acceptable for him. Deciding that my gifts were more than suffice, I took a place at the back of the long line to purchase my selections. I stared absent-mindedly at a Sugar Quill display as I went through my mental shopping list.

James was the only other family member I needed to shop for. I needed to pick up a new sweater for Emma, so that did it for friend shopping. Dog needs a new—

"Oh!" I gasped, causing the girl in front of me to jump.

She turned around to give me a sharp look.

"I just remembered I have other friends," I said apologetically.

She shook her head at me, rolling her eyes angrily.

I slid out of line quickly, feeling mildly panicky. What on earth do I get everyone else? I immediately decided that I would buy Lily a new quill (judging by the state of her others, it would be a useful gift). She would probably be the only easy one to buy for. Remus, Peter, and Sirius would be harder to buy for. I suppose sweets would be the safest option. You can't really go wrong with something from Honeydukes.

During the brief time it took me to decide what I would buy for everyone else, the store had become considerably more crowded. I had to fight my way back towards the displays. It was a struggle to get a slab of chocolate for Remus, but it was nothing compared to the fight I had with a third year over the last of the Fizzing Whizbees for Peter. I had to negotiate with him before one of us resorted to violence. In the end, I agreed to write his Charms essay for him.

"Busy, huh?" someone remarked from behind me.

Greg Powell stood mere inches from me, boxes stacked up to his chin.

"Extremely," I said, "Everyone's rushing to get their holiday shopping done."

"It's getting to be a madhouse in here," Greg noted, watching a fourth year snatch a box from an unsuspecting classmate.

"Definitely," I agreed.

"I must be getting along," he smiled, "It was nice talking to you, Robin. I promise I won't tell Clara what you got her."

I opened my mouth to ask him how he knew what I got my sister, but he was already walking away. When he took his place in line, I noticed that he had a box of jellybeans identical to mine teetering precariously on top of his stack. I picked up some Drooble's Best Blowing Gum before paying for everything. Greg deserved something for offering me his "never-ending friendship."

I was almost relieved to get out of the shop. The sweet smell was making me feel ill, I think. The cold wind felt refreshing after the chaos in Honeydukes. After a quick stop at Scrivenshaft's to pick up a quill for Lily, I decided that a butterbeer was necessary. Walking around alone considerably dampens one's spirits. I was even more disheartened when I put my Scrivenshaft's package inside the big bag from Honeydukes. I hadn't realized that I didn't pick up something for Sirius at the candy shop.

I debated making a quick stop back at Honeydukes before visiting the Three Broomsticks. I decided against it after a sudden dizzy spell hit me. I needed to sit down and get something in my stomach.

The Three Broomsticks was crowded, but I managed to find a small table near the back. A group of Slytherins sighed in frustration when they passed my table, unable to find anywhere to sit. I almost felt guilty for taking a table when I was by myself. _Almost_. It was hard to feel sympathy for people who had once made a hobby of sabotaging my potions.

From across the room, I spotted Sirius. He was sitting with a group of Gryffindors that I didn't recognize. The barmaid was standing by their table, her head thrown back in laughter. Someone, probably Sirius, had just said something particularly funny. The table's guffaws were noticeable in the loud pub.

I stared at my table, studying the grain of the wood. I began to desperately wish that Emma was with me. Loud squeals erupted from the table behind me, serving to remind me how alone I was at the moment. A group of seventh year Hufflepuff girls were chattering excitedly. I tried half-heartedly to block out their conversation, but I quickly gave up when I heard one girl mention Sirius.

I held my breath, afraid that the rhythmic rise and fall of my chest would muffle the conversation. A wave of nausea washed over me as I listened to one girl talk about him. It was more than obvious that she wanted Sirius in the worst kind of way.

Just by listening to her talk, I could tell that she was overconfident. Her friends only further fueled her boldness by assuring her that she was more than good enough for the oh-so-handsome Sirius Black. I wanted to snort at the girl's outrageous remarks, but I felt inexplicably sick. Fearing that listening to anymore of the girl's conversation would actually make me vomit, I grabbed my Honeydukes bag and went to the loo.

I stared at myself in the mirror. I didn't look very good. My dirty-blonde hair was messy from the windy day, my light green eyes looked bloodshot, and I was abnormally pale. My hands felt unusually clammy, too. It wasn't until a small fifth year walked into the lavatory that I realized I had been staring at my reflection in the mirror for minutes without remembering anything. I hurriedly splashed some cold water on my face, trying to make myself feel more alert before I went back out into the Three Broomsticks.

No sooner had I stepped out of the loo that I wished I had never left it in the first place. The Hufflepuff girl was at Sirius's table, clearly trying to chat him up. The other boys at the table were staring raptly at her, trying to get her attention. Sirius was spinning something around on the table absent-mindedly, glancing up at her every now and then.

Another wave of nausea washed over me, but it was only then that I realized it was not from jealousy as I had thought before. I was going to be genuinely sick. An unexpected light-headedness hit me, and I could feel myself begin to sway uncertainly on the spot. I groped helplessly for the wall to lean against, but it was useless.

My mouth began salivating, signaling that I would soon empty the contents of my stomach. I heard someone say my name, but it sounded like they were shouting from miles away. Someone had their hands on my shoulders, holding me steady. Despite being physically still, I felt like I was spinning. The person kept asking if I was okay. I wanted to answer, but I couldn't. I knew what would happen if I opened my mouth. I felt the hot sting of bile in my throat seconds before my entire body jolted with an almighty wretch.

Even though I had just coated the floor of the Three Broomsticks with vomit, I felt only marginally better. I was slowly lowered to the floor, my back slumping against the wall the second I hit solid ground. I could hear people gagging, but I couldn't have cared less. I was so hot that all I wanted to do was bury myself in the snow and sleep for days. The barmaid hurried over to me, vanishing my vomit as she passed it.

"Can you get her back to the school, Sirius? She needs the infirmary," the barmaid asked, helping to pull me to my feet.

"I've got her, Rosmerta," he said, letting me lean on him, "I'll get her to Madam Pomfrey in no time."

Madam Pomfrey? No. I wanted to be in the snow, and then I needed to finish my shopping. Snow and shopping, not Madam Pomfrey.

"No," I mumbled, "I haven't finished my holiday shopping."

"Don't worry about that now, dear," the barmaid, Rosmerta, said soothingly.

A path was cleared as Sirius half-dragged me from the pub. As we passed the table that Sirius had been at before, I noticed with smug satisfaction that the Hufflepuff girl looked irritated. I only had a few seconds to revel in my satisfaction, though. I started to feel another wave of nausea coming on.

We had barely made it outside before I threw up again. Sirius held my hair back this time, patting my back as I coughed out the remaining vomit after the initial wretch.

"Merlin, Robin," he said, "How is there anything even left in your stomach?"

I laughed weakly and dropped down to my knees. Sirius stared at me worriedly, his hand gripping my shoulder. My temperature suddenly became an urgent issue; sweat began beading up on my brow and running down my back. I propelled myself forward to lay face-down in the snow. Thinking that I had simply collapsed, Sirius tried to pull me up.

"No," I moaned, "Snow. I want to lie in the snow."

"Robin, you're sick. You need to go to the hospital wing," Sirius said gently.

"Later," I said weakly, "Snow now, hospital wing later."

He turned my face towards him. I knew that it was burning hot because I could feel the dewy wetness of the melted snow on my cheek. A gust of wind chilled my moist face, causing a pleasant sensation to go down my spine and cool my uncomfortably hot body. His hand touched my forehead, making another pleasant sensation tingle down my spine.

"You're feverish. Robin, you must go to the hospital wing," he said.

"I don't want to move," I whined, feeling disoriented by a brief spell of dizziness.

"Robin," Sirius said patiently.

"You should lie in the snow, too," I said, nestling my warm face back into the snow.

Sirius didn't think much of this idea. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye to see that his grey eyes were peering down at me. A mix of frustration and worry was etched in his features. Muttering to himself, he looked at the dull sky and sighed.

"Up we go," he said finally, picking me up from the ground.

I struggled lamely with the remaining strength that I had. I just wanted to stay in the snow where it was cold. Instead of trying to walk me back to the castle, Sirius opted to carry me. I didn't fight as much, but I did try to pull my clothes off. I was so hot and he wouldn't let me lay in the snow. It seemed like the logical solution.

"Robin, please stop trying to undress yourself," Sirius said tiredly, "It's only a fever. Just keep still so I can get you back to the castle."

"I feel like I'm on fire," I complained, "I just need to get this off."

He rolled his eyes as I pulled at my sweater uselessly.

"You know," I said persuasively, wiping the sweat from my face away, "I bet if Remus and Peter were here, _they_ would have let me stay in the snow."

"I wouldn't be so sure that either of them would indulge your delusional requests," he answered.

"Delusional?" I said indignantly.

"Yes," he affirmed, "You're sick and you need rest. You're completely barmy right now… well, barmier than usual, at least."

If I hadn't been fighting another bout of nausea, I might have had butterflies in my stomach when Sirius smiled at me. Unfortunately, the vomiting had forced my resident stomach butterflies to vacate the premises. Just thinking about throwing up induced such extreme nausea that I was certain it could not be relieved until I emptied my stomach once more.

"Need to throw up," I gasped, trying to hold down the bile rising in my throat.

As gently as possible in the urgent situation, Sirius let me drop so I could be sick. He dutifully kept my hair out of the vomit again. Feeling exhausted, I curled up in the snow after the last heave.

"Robin," he started.

I let out a small whimper, curling myself into a tighter ball. I heard him sigh loudly. With a soft thump, Sirius plopped down in the snow beside me.

"I don't feel very good," I commented, uncurling myself so I could lay face-down, spread eagle in the snow.

"Really," Sirius laughed, "I never would have guessed, what with all the throwing up and the high fever."

"I think the illness has just about run its course, though," I said hopefully, my voice muffled by the snow, "I'll probably be better before we get to the hospital wing."

"I don't think as much can be said for your shoes," he remarked, nudging my boot with his foot.

I felt anxious suddenly, but the reason eluded me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I tried to forget about my sudden panic; I didn't need any other feelings right now. I was too hot to have any other feelings, anyways. The reason didn't take long to return, though.

"Oh, sweet Merlin," I groaned suddenly, "We need to get rid of the boots."

"What?" Sirius asked, obviously confused.

"They're Cathy's boots," I explained, "Mine were missing, so Emma told me to wear these. I was pressured! I knew it was a bad idea, I knew it! Now the boots are ruined. That evil wench is going to make my life hell if she finds out. Stupid Emma and her peer pressure."

"Can't we fix them?" he questioned, staring at my feet now.

"Unless you know some really handy household charms to remove stains and the smell of vomit, I don't think so," I said sadly.

"I think I know what we can do with the boots," Sirius said thoughtfully, staring at the castle.

He pulled me up from the ground. I didn't feel as disoriented as I thought I would. Apparently the third time really is the charm. I felt considerably better after throwing up that last time.

I was able to finish the trip back to Hogwarts on my own two feet for the most part, only relying on Sirius to lean on a bit. The walk back seemed to go much faster not only because I no longer felt like I was going to throw up my internal organs, but because I wasn't alone. A few butterflies hesitantly resumed their happy fluttering in my stomach. They were a bit wary though, worried that they might be forcefully ejected.

"This ought to do," Sirius said cheerfully as we stood by the lake.

"It's frozen," I pointed out, nudging the ice with my foot.

He scratched his head as he considered ways to break the ice. A decently sized rock nearby seemed to be his prime choice. Sirius picked it up and chucked it at the ice.

"Brilliant," he grinned.

I sat down in the snow to pull off the boots. One at a time, Sirius levitated the boots over to the hole in the ice. Both of them fell into the black water with a satisfying _plop_!

"I don't really feel bad about that," I commented.

"I wouldn't," he remarked, "I'm sure the Giant Squid will love the boots."

"True," I agreed, "That was rather charitable of us."

There was a comfortable silence as we stared at the frozen lake. The water in the hole that Sirius had made was eerily still. A strong gust of wind caused the small patch of black water to ripple and rustled the trees in the Forbidden Forest. The Whomping Willow, not taking the windy disturbance as passively as most trees, could be seen angrily swinging its branches at the invisible annoyance in the distance. A second gust reluctantly broke the silence.

"I think it's about time we get to the hospital wing," Sirius said, holding his hand out.

I gave him a small smile, taking his hand. My bare feet trudged through the snow contentedly not only because they were allowed to stay in pleasurable coldness, but because happiness was coursing through every inch of my body. Sirius hadn't let go.

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"How was Hogsmeade?" Emma asked grumpily when she returned to the dormitory late that night.

Even though her eyes were bloodshot from crying, I didn't hold back. She didn't even bother to look at me when she entered the room. I still looked terrible, but I had stopped puking (the third time wasn't actually the charm, unfortunately for Madam Pomfrey). I had been permitted to return to my dormitory as long as I stayed in the bed the rest of the night.

"Well, I spent most of the day alone," I said harshly, "I got some company later, though. Sirius walked me back up to castle after I threw up in the Three Broomsticks. And then again outside the Three Broomsticks, then on the path back up to school, and lastly on Madam Pomfrey."

"You were sick?" she questioned meekly, finally looking at me.

"Yes, and completely alone all day," I reminded her.

I felt guilty after I said it. Emma looked like she wanted to cry again.

"I'm sorry, Robin," Emma sighed, sitting on the end of my bed, "I shouldn't have left you like that."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" I asked, swiftly changing the subject.

"I thought you'd make fun of me," she said truthfully as she stared at her hands.

"Make fun of you?" I laughed, "Honestly, Emma, that is ridiculous. There is no way I could make fun of you in good conscience. I'm a disaster when it comes to Sirius Black. I've embarrassed myself so many times in front of that boy that I can't even remember. Although, I don't think I will ever be able to forget accidentally launching myself into his nether regions on the first day of Charms. I thought I couldn't go any lower after he caught me stalking him, but then I bloodied his nose! Our time spent today mostly consisted of me throwing up and rolling in the snow likes a lunatic. I'm not sure it's even legal for me to make fun of you considering what I've done."

Emma gave me a small smile.

"Believe me, Emma. There is no way I could possibly make fun of you for fancying my brother. You've done nothing stupid enough to earn my ridicule," I assured her.

"This is true," she said, laughing a bit, "I don't think many people could achieve what you have, though."

"What? Making a complete fool of themselves in front of the person they fancy?" I scoffed, "It's not as hard as it looks."

"No, I'm not talking about that," Emma said, shaking her head, "I was talking about winning over Sirius Black, getting him to fall for you."

"At this rate, I doubt that'll ever happen," I laughed sadly.

"Don't you see, Robin?" she said softly, "It already has."

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**A/N-** Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I've barely been home. Excuse the errors (I hurried a bit with this chapter to get it up as promised). Definitely not as amusing as other chapters, but it was necessary for relationship development (I know I said that last time, too). I swear that the next chapter will be fun. It's time to meet Aunt Esther! Thank you so much for all the reviews. As for the lurkers, I know you're out there. I would appreciate reviews. Until next time…


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Harry Potter.

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I appreciate it so, so much!**

**Relentless Pursuit**

Chapter 13-

"Do you think Sneakoscopes work on weasels?" James pondered aloud, staring at a shop display.

"You know, James," I sighed, "You're making it difficult for me to finish my Christmas shopping."

"I told your mum that I'd watch you," he smirked, "She's worried about her ickle Robin being all alone in the big, scary Diagon Alley."

"Only because you made her believe I had a stalker from school!" I snapped, "She was barmy enough, James. Now she's going to be worried all the time that some nutter is waiting to stun and kidnap me!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," James insisted.

I stared pointedly ahead of me. He was right. I would have done anything to tag along with someone granted permission to be miles away from Aunt Esther. James's house had turned into a nightmare over night. Aunt Esther and her furry minions had taken over. Had I not been able to finish my shopping at Hogsmeade, I'd still be in that wretched place with Lawrence sneaking around.

"Regardless of our present situation, I need to get your gift. I can't very well do that with you breathing down my neck," I informed him sharply.

"I could help you with that," he said happily, "That way you can be certain that I'll love it!"

"You've been enough help already, thanks," I said, wincing at the memory.

Picking a sweater for Emma had turned into quite the fiasco. The woman who owned the shop was beginning to worry that a duel would break out between the two of us. James was, for some strange reason, under the impression that he was a style guru. Every sweater I even glanced at was deemed hideous by him. Every sweater he suggested truly was an abomination. In the end, I was forced to purchase my friend an awful sweater with holiday hippogriffs emblazoned across the front. In my defense, James threatened to lock the weasel clan in my room while I was asleep. I really had no other choice.

Within seconds of her arrival, Aunt Esther made our worst fear become a reality. Not only did Lawrence have a new companion, but they had spawned a trio of monsters. Apparently, the litter had originally consisted of five kits. Louise, however, was not a particularly loving mother. She actually cannibalized her kits. Aunt Esther raised three baby ferrets by hand until they were big enough to not be in any danger of becoming lunch for their sadistic mother.

Louis, Lady, and Lucille proved to be just as evil and devious as we had feared. Lucille was particularly nasty, inheriting every vicious aspect of her father. She drew blood only seconds after Aunt Esther thrust her into my arms. I was berated for letting the monster drop to the ground after she bit me. Aunt Esther thought I would be honored that she named a ferret after me. Contrary to what she thinks, my name is not Lucille, nor has it ever been Lucille. I have been called Robin since birth. She refuses to believe me, though.

"I was thinking," I started slowly.

"About the impending doom waiting at my house," James finished.

"What if Lawrence and his family just happen to escape out the door?" I questioned suggestively, "We can't really do anything if the weasels just run away on their own accord."

"I like the way you think," James grinned, "Leaving the door open is a simple and seemingly-innocent mistake."

"I'm sure Dog will help us out," I added.

Dog and Lawrence had never got on well. It seems that the two have become even less compatible since their last encounter. Dog and Lawrence, from two until three in the morning, were viciously battling. I know this only because my bed was the arena. In fact, I was forced out of my warm, snuggly bed by their early morning squabble. I was thoroughly appalled when I entered Clara's room to get into bed with her to find that my sister was snuggling with Lucille. I'm certain that particular activity goes under the heading of "fraternizing with the enemy." If she wants to follow in John's footsteps, though, she's doing just fine.

"Have you gotten anything for Sirius?" James asked, interrupting my thoughts, "After enduring your excessive vomiting, I think he deserves something. I was thinking a medal, perhaps."

I swiftly elbowed James in the side. My recent illness was his favorite topic of conversation lately.

"Was it really necessary to bring that up again?" I snipped.

"I'm afraid so," he said gravely, "My deepest apologies, but I don't think I can possibly let you forget this for at least a month."

"It's not like it was my fault," I pointed out.

"Likely story," he said, sounding completely unconvinced, "I have it on good authority that it was actually a plot to slip Sirius a love potion. Thought you could just meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks and buy him a butterbeer, eh? A butterbeer spiked with Amortentia, maybe? Sarah Wright threw off your plans, though. So you resorted to desperate measures, didn't you? No man can resist a damsel in distress. It goes against every gentlemanly instinct a bloke possesses to leave a lady in trouble."

"That's ridiculous, James," I said hotly.

"I never thought you'd go so low, Robin," he said, shaking his head.

I couldn't help but gape at him. I was frustratingly curious as to where he even heard such an outlandish story. Only girls talked about that sort of rubbish. I'm certain that Lily doesn't fuel gossip, and other than me, James doesn't really—

"Good authority?" I repeatedly suspiciously, raising my eyebrow, "Care to reveal your source?"

"That's confidential," James answered quickly.

"I think I'll take a stab at this," I said, the culprit now obvious, "I'm almost certain I can figure out the origins of this story."

"I highly doubt that," he scoffed.

"My guess is this story came from a one Clara Willows. It wasn't of her making, though. Oh no, I'm certain that she heard this story at Hogwarts from her friend, and well-known gossiper, Rebecca. Coincidentally, Rebecca is close friends with a girl named Polly from Gryffindor. And, if I'm correct, the Hufflepuff chatting up Sirius in the Three Broomsticks is actually Polly's older sister Sarah. Thus, the original story stemmed from a jealous girl who couldn't manage to get the attention of Mr. Sirius Black," I said smugly, "Right?"

James was the one gaping now.

"Bloody good detective work," he remarked.

"Not really," I sighed, "You wouldn't believe what you can hear in the girl's lavatory, especially when people don't know you're in the stall next to them."

"Look on the bright side, Robin," my cousin said cheerfully, "Now with this love potion rumor, everyone will have forgotten about your illegitimate lovechild with Filch!"

I gave James a sour look. He ruffled his hair and grinned at me in return. As I was giving him an unpleasant stare, I saw something glitter over his shoulder. A small shop display was showing an array of picture frames, cameras, and shiny trinkets. Without speaking, I walked away from James and into the shop.

"Oy!" I heard him call after me.

The shop had an eccentric feel to it. There was an assortment of strange objects littering the shelves. One shelf was full of cameras, film, frames, and albums while another shelf had tea cups and kettles. The back corner was filled with crystal balls mixed with chess sets. It was apparent that the owner was not very discriminatory about what he sold. It felt like half of the shop was terribly out of place.

"Thanks for the warning," James said sarcastically from behind me.

"Sorry," I said, "This shop just caught my eye."

"Strange place," he commented, looking around.

In the far corner, I saw a strange looking watch. Deciding that this bizarre shop could possibly be the last stop for my holiday shopping, I quickly started to shoo my cousin towards the exit.

"I'll meet you outside," I said forcefully, "We'll never finish shopping if you don't let me buy your gift."

James looked extremely disgruntled as I pushed him out of the store. He stared sadly from the other side of the door at me.

"But that's the point," he complained, "I don't want to go back."

I pulled the blind down, blocking his face from view. After ensuring that James couldn't see me, I wandered over to the shelf that had the strange watch. I didn't have a clue what it actually did, but I was sure that it didn't tell time.

"May I help you?"

The man that approached me was definitely the owner of the shop. He looked extremely peculiar. He was dressed in a flamboyantly bright multicolored robe. What sparse gray hair he had left was extremely frazzled, giving him the appearance of someone who had just spent hours brewing a difficult potion. He was holding something in his hand that was making an ominous whirring noise and emitting purple puffs of smoke. I was so distracted by the man's appearance that I almost forgot to answer his question.

"Er – well," I stuttered, eyeing the suspicious object he was holding.

"No worries," he assured me, holding it up, "It's just feeling a bit temperamental today."

"Right," I nodded unsurely, "Well, I was, er, wondering if you could tell me what this is."

I handed him the watch. He briefly examined it before a large grin spread across his face.

"You've got quite the eye, miss," he said jovially, "This is a Wanderer's Watch. It's extremely handy. It directs the wearer to the place he needs to be. I bought it a few months back off a wizard who used to do a great deal of hiking. He swore it never led him astray."

"So if you get lost somewhere, it leads you home?" I asked, "Sort of like a compass?"

"Yes," he said excitedly, "It can guide you home or to whatever destination you're trying to reach. They're very useful for traveling. But that's not all; I've heard other stories about Wanderer's Watches. A witch once told me that she followed a Wanderer's Watch's direction when she wasn't physically lost. It led her to a pub where her long-lost brother was working."

I was very intrigued by the watch. The owner handed it back to me, beaming proudly as I turned it over in my hands to stare at it.

"Amazing stories I've heard about these things. Of course, many people argue that the stories are rubbish. Me, though, I believe every word of it," he said wistfully, "Many witches and wizards take magic for granted, thinking of it only as a practical way of living; so many have forgotten the awe of seeing a rat being transfigured into a tea cup for the first time. I, for one, will never doubt the limits of magic. It's both dangerous and wondrous. Only a fool would forget its power."

I was sold. I couldn't have thought of a better gift than the watch. The man was thrilled when I not only purchased the Wanderer's Watch, but a camera, film, and photo album. He took the time to detail all the features of the photo album (self-sticking charms and a shield protecting photos from the elements on every page). By the time I finally left the store, James was impatiently tapping his foot in the middle of the street.

"Merlin," he grumbled, "I thought you'd be in there all night."

"You're the one that wanted to waste time," I pointed out.

He ruffled my hair to purposely annoy me.

"Let's go," he ordered, holding his arm out.

"Wait, wait, wait," I said nervously, backing away, "I think we should use Floo Powder to get back."

"Apparating is so much easier, though," James argued.

"Have you ever done side-along apparation?" I questioned dubiously.

"No," he said shiftily, "But I'm sure it's no different than going alone."

"I want all my limbs, thanks," I said protectively, taking another step back.

James was apparently in no mood to debate the matter. He launched forward and gripped my arm tightly. Regardless of my feelings on being the test subject for his first side-along apparation experience, I wasn't going to have a say on the matter. Having never apparated before, I was certain that something had gone terribly wrong. The most horrible feelings assaulted my senses.

"See, nothing to worry about," James crowed happily when we suddenly appeared by the gates leading to his house.

"I feel like I'm going to be ill again," I gasped indignantly, gripping my knees tightly.

Leaving me behind, James started making his way back to the house. I ran after him once I finally regained my composure. I was again painfully reminded of how physically out of shape I was. I was out of breath within seconds.

"Take a deep breath," he instructed as we approached the door.

The two of us both attempted a calming breath to prepare ourselves. Even though it was useless, we still tried. Nothing could prepare a person for what we like to call the "Esther Experience."

"Is that you, Lucille?" someone shouted from the dining room.

"Yes, Aunt Esther," I responded dutifully.

"Is George with you?" she barked.

"Yes," James answered loudly.

"Well, don't just stand there like a pair of idiots. Hurry up," Esther snapped, "We've been waiting for you two to come home so we could eat."

"Good to see she's still as charming as ever," James muttered darkly.

After stowing our purchases in our rooms upstairs, James and I returned to the dining room to be berated by our Great Aunt Esther. By the expressions on everyone else's faces, it was clear that they had already gotten their healthy dose of criticism for the night. The only person who looked pleased was Clara. For some unknown reason, Aunt Esther loved Clara. In fact, she even knew her name. Nobody else could say as much.

"I see you still haven't gotten a figure yet, Lucille," Aunt Esther said harshly, looking me up and down, "I've seen arrows with more curves."

I was at a loss for words. It was foolish of me to think I'd get away without a rude remark about my physical appearance. She insists on commenting on my lack of curves at least once every time she visits, and I've yet to think of something good to say back to her. Of course, disagreeing with the old bat would be suicide.

"Right," I finally responded lamely, taking a seat next to my father.

My dad put his hand consolingly on my knee. I watched as James attempted to slither into his chair unnoticed.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to brush your hair, George?" she asked James with an air of distaste.

"James," Aunt Maggie quietly corrected Esther.

"What's that, Agatha?" Aunt Esther nearly shouted, "Speak up, dear. I'm an old woman."

"Let's eat," Aunt Maggie said loudly, passing the potatoes to Esther.

The food hadn't even made it the whole way around the table before I felt a cold nose poking at my ankle. I tried to nudge the ferret away discreetly. I didn't even have to look down to know that it was Lawrence sticking his face up my pant leg.

Bugger, bugger, bugger!

I could feel Lawrence slowly sneaking up my pant leg. His cold nose was sniffing my leg first, but then I could feel his paws pressing against my shin. Soon his tiny claws were digging into my skin. I could feel him reaching to stretch his neck further to sniff under my knee. It was extremely uncomfortable to wait for a weasel to decide where the tastiest place was on my leg. I was grimacing, waiting for Lawrence to sink his teeth into the soft skin under my knee.

Seeing my expression, James started giving me meaningful looks from across the table. I nodded vigorously in an attempt to signal that I was about to become Lawrence's prey. I saw him slowly reach into his pocket, likely going for his wand.

"What are you doing?" Esther growled, making James jump.

Noticing his nervous behavior, Esther gave him an unfriendly stare.

"No need to jump, boy," she said before turning her attention to me, "You look like you're up to something with that ugly look on your face, Lucille. Not trying to pull something on your Great Aunt Esther again, are you?"

I glared at James who was now shaking silently with laughter. Aunt Esther is still convinced that I was the one who put the Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit in her room disguised as the wrinkle-reducing formula suggested by _Witch Weekly_ (James had really gone out of his way with embellishments). Needless to say, Aunt Esther has not forgiven the culprit. Actually, I'm certain that she will never forgive me for supposedly tricking her into growing warts all over her face.

"No," I blurted out quickly, "I just, er, have a stomach ache. That's all."

She gave me a scrutinizing stare. I tried to smile as I shook my leg in an attempt to get Lawrence away. Since she couldn't rightfully accuse me any further as I was now smiling, Aunt Esther opted to embarrass me.

"You're not irregular, are you?" she asked suspiciously, "They make potions for that. Irregularity would explain your crabbiness as well as that wretched look you were sporting before, Lucille. I'm sure your Aunt Agatha can help you get things running smoothly again. Right, Agatha?"

My Aunt Maggie looked as aghast as I was red. Despite years of knowing Esther, she was always startled by her uncouth remarks. I, on the other hand, was just extremely embarrassed.

"I'm not sure that's really appropriate at the dinner table, Esther," she said, patches of red coloring her cheeks.

Fearing that I would forget his presence, Lawrence took a light nibble. I started shaking my leg harder under the table. Luckily, everyone was distracted by Aunt Esther so my behavior went unnoticed.

"Not appropriate?" Esther sneered, "I see nothing wrong with discussing bodily functions. It's natural and normal, except in Lucille's case."

Aunt Esther cackled a bit at her own comment. Clara was the only one who joined in, though; everyone else was silent. Meanwhile, Lawrence was digging his claws deeper into my skin to make sure that he stayed firmly planted in his place.

Deciding that a major disaster was necessary, Fate decided to have a good laugh at my expense. Unbeknownst to me, Dog was lurking at the other end of the table. It was her golden chance; Lawrence couldn't see the attack coming because he was too busy nosing around in my pant leg. With a shrill battle cry, my cat launched herself at the weasel embedded in my leg.

"BUGGER!" I exclaimed, shooting up.

My chair toppled backwards as I hopped around on one leg and desperately attempted to get both the cat and the weasel off my leg. Dog was not being very careful about who she maimed. I was certain that half of the blood now running down my leg was from her claws. Lawrence was emitting terrible noises that sounded remarkably like hissing as he attempted to attack Dog through my pants.

"GET THEM OFF!" I yelled.

James was the only one who was not too shocked to just stare at the unraveling scene. He pulled out his wand and tried to stun both the cat and the ferret. After the destruction of two flower vases, James and I finally managed to break up the fight on my leg. I had to physically pull Dog from my leg (resulting in several arm wounds) and James successfully stunned Lawrence with an extremely luckily aimed spell.

"Lawrence!" Esther cried, hobbling as fast as she could towards the stunned ferret lying at my feet.

Before Aunt Esther could reach Lawrence, Dog had suddenly leapt on to his unconscious body. I was secretly proud of my cat when she tried to make off with the unmoving form of Lawrence. Unfortunately, my mum had to be a killjoy and revive the ferret so Aunt Esther wouldn't go into cardiac arrest. Lawrence was not particularly happy about his current position when he regained movement. The only noise that broke the uncomfortable silence that was hanging over the dinner table was Dog's guttural growl as she pursued Lawrence.

"How dare you!" Esther snapped viciously at James.

James looked a bit dumbfounded, but quickly recovered. His mother attempted to reassure him by gripping his shoulder.

"He was attacking Robin," James bit back, "What was I supposed to?"

"Robin?" she repeated, thrown off-track by someone using my real name, "I don't know what sort of games you're trying to play with me, George, but it isn't going to work! You should be ashamed of yourself for attacking your dear old aunt's pet, not to mention trying to play tricks on her by talking nonsense about people that don't exist."

Uncle Robert let out an exasperated sigh. It was clear that he sick of Aunt Esther already.

"Esther, don't you think it's getting late?" Uncle Robert asked tiredly.

This earned him a beady-eyed glare from Esther. She looked utterly appalled and deeply offended that Uncle Robert would even suggest something so blasphemous.

"No respect," she cried, throwing her arms in the air.

James patted his father on the back as Uncle Robert let out another exasperated sigh. Everyone watched mournfully as Aunt Esther hobbled into the sitting room, making it obvious that she was not ready to go to sleep. Clara quickly followed in Esther's wake, plucking up one of Lawrence's foul offspring on the way.

"It'd be easy to make it look like an accident," John muttered quietly.

Our mum was the only one who glared at him. The rest of us looked suddenly hopeful that someone else said aloud what we were thinking.

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"Stupid bloody weasels," I muttered to myself.

It was almost three in the morning. I was forced to evacuate my room because Lawrence and his children had decided it would be good fun to harass me. I didn't even fight their little weasel regime. I decided to go to Clara's room instead. If all the ferrets were in my room then her room was certainly a safe zone.

"Bugger," I breathed, blindly holding my arms out in front of me.

Wandering through the house without opening my eyes might not have been the best idea, but I'd never get back to sleep if I opened them the whole way. There's something about breaking that sleepy seal around your eyes that makes it impossible to fall asleep again.

I stopped in front of Clara's room, fumbled for the door knob, and finally managed to let myself in. I stumbled over to the bed, cursing her with every step for leaving so many bloody obstacles on the floor. I gently climbed into her bed, fitting myself in the little bit of room she wasn't taking up. Clara would be a monster if I woke her. Sleeping in an odd position was worth escaping her early morning wrath.

Despite being in one of the most uncomfortable positions ever, I managed to fall asleep again quite easily. Keeping your eyes closed really is the key…

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"Look at what we've got here."

I could literally hear the sinister smile in Aunt Esther's voice from the hall. I apparently forgot to close the door last night because it sounded like she was standing right at the foot of the bed.

"Esther, the loo is the next door down," Aunt Maggie said tonelessly from the hall.

"Oh, Agatha," Esther cooed, "Come here for a moment, dear."

I heard footsteps in the hall. I was still so sleepy. Why did they have to be so loud?

"What is it, Est—"

Aunt Maggie abruptly stopped speaking.

"Looks like Lucille has been sneaking in late night guests," Aunt Esther said, "Didn't know the little tart was sneaking in boys, did you?"

I suddenly felt cold. I wasn't just imagining that Aunt Esther was standing at the foot of the bed; she _was_ standing at the foot of bed! That was alarming enough, but now I was being charged with some serious accusations. Did I accidentally go into John's room? It's not like she'd actually recognize him as my brother.

"She didn't sneak him in," Aunt Maggie snapped back at Esther, "He's our guest."

"I see," Aunt Esther said condescendingly, "I suppose you condone this kind of reckless, inappropriate, sinful behavior?"

Aunt Maggie was silent. I was beginning to internally panic. I didn't want either of them to know I was awake. If it was John, Aunt Maggie surely would have come to my defense and told the old bat off. What was going on?

"What's going on in here?" James inquired from the hallway.

I could hear him walk into the room. Good! Another spectator!

"Bloody hell," he boomed, "Padfoot! Oy! Wake up!!"

My heart dropped suddenly into my stomach.

Sirius yawned, "Why are—"

It was obvious that he opened his eyes half way through his statement. Everyone was silent for a minute as the situation was absorbed.

"What the hell," Sirius said to himself.

"You've ruined her," Aunt Esther burst out angrily, "You've ruined Lucille! No man will ever take her now! I was worried enough about getting her married off when she was still pure! I thought some man would have pity enough on the girl someday to marry her, but now the poor thing has been deflowered by a scoundrel!"

"Now hold on just one minute, Esther," Aunt Maggie said threateningly, "Sirius hasn't had a chance—"

"Scoundrel!" Aunt Esther snarled, interrupting Aunt Maggie.

"Watch who you're calling names, you old bat," Sirius snapped defensively, "I've done nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Esther cried hysterically, "You've deflowered an innocent girl! You've ruined her future! Lucille is an embarrassment to the family name now! She'll have to be disowned!"

Merlin, please have mercy and kill me now!

"Nobody will disown anyone," Aunt Maggie said complacently, "I think—"

"If Aunt Esther disowns Robin, I want disowned, too," James chimed in.

"James, this is not the time," his mother said tiredly.

"Your guest, Agatha?" Esther sneered, "I see what kind of scum you house now! Who is this scoundrel, eh?"

"His name is neither here nor there," Aunt Maggie said.

Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, I can disappear. At the very least, I'd like to melt into a puddle of embarrassment. They can't very well interrogate a puddle of goo.

"You, boy," Esther growled, "What's your name?"

"Sirius," he answered through gritted teeth.

"Trying to be smart with me?" Aunt Esther asked suspiciously, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to, you scoundrel. Think if you give me a nonsense name you can get off scot-free? Not this time, sir. _Not this time_."

"Lay off him already," James barked.

"Are you hungry, Esther?" Aunt Maggie questioned desperately, "I think we should get some breakfast."

"I don't—"

"Breakfast!" Aunt Maggie interrupted her loudly, "We're getting breakfast, Esther."

Judging by the grumbling and muttering, it sounded as though Aunt Maggie had finally managed to get the barmy woman to leave. The door snapped shut, but I didn't feel relieved. I knew James and Sirius were still in the room.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep now," James said acidly, "She's gone."

I kept my eyes tightly shut.

"You were very helpful back there," my cousin commented.

"My thoughts exactly, Prongs," Sirius said, "Just curious, Robin, but why exactly are you in my bed?"

I kept quiet, my eyes clenched shut. I held my breath in hopes that they would leave just like Aunt Esther.

"Merlin's beard, Robin," James sighed impatiently, "We know you're awake."

"I'm sleeping," I tried lamely.

"In my bed," Sirius finished, "Why?"

"I thought it was Clara's room," I said truthfully, opening my eyes.

"And why were you going to Clara's room?" James inquired.

"It was a ferret circus in my room," I answered, "Louis kept trying to nest in my hair."

"Likely excuse," James said disbelievingly, "You knew this was Sirius's room."

"I didn't even know he was here," I said indignantly, "I wasn't really expecting to find your best mate here on Christmas Eve."

There was a brief silence where they both gave me a scrutinizing stare. After a few minutes of this, my cousin finally broke the silence.

"Padfoot," James said seriously, turning to his friend, "Do you feel violated?"

"I do," Sirius responded gravely, "I feel quite violated."

I gaped at the two of them. Was it really necessary to cause me any extra embarrassment?

"Nobody will ever marry him now," James said sadly.

"You've ruined my future," Sirius stated firmly.

"Now he's an embarrassment to his family name," James said, then after pausing thoughtfully, added, "Again."

"I was asleep," Sirius continued dramatically, "Asleep!"

"He was defenseless!" James exclaimed.

"You're a monster," Sirius uttered.

Long after they had made their theatric exit, I sat in the bed wondering what exactly had just happened. I shook my head, trying to assure myself that I was being ridiculous. The same conclusion kept popping into my head, though. Eventually, I had to accept it, though.

I have been accused of deflowering Sirius Black in his sleep.

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**A/N-** Sorry it took a bit longer than I thought to get this chapter up. I had limited time to write. Hopefully this chapter was a bit more amusing than the previous one. I will try my best to get a new chapter up this week. Thank you SO much for all the reviews. It made me so happy! _Please_ review again. I appreciate it so much!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Harry Potter. Sadface

**Thank you so very much for all the reviews! I cannot begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has continued to even look for updates on this story!**

Chapter 14-

"No, Mum, please. I know what you're going to say, and it's completely unnecessary," I blurted out.

My mother stared at me sympathetically. The look on her face made me feel like I was a young child, a sign that made me both mildly frustrated and worried. Nothing good could come of this.

"Robin, I think it's important that we have this conversation. You're a young woman now, and you're dealing with a lot of new feelings," she responded calmly, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Really, it's okay, Mum. Nothing happened. It was just a big misunderstanding," I insisted, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

Despite my attempts to stop my mother, she took a deep breath and started rambling. To be honest, I had a hard time following. Most of what she said was nonsense about emotions with vaguely suggestive innuendos attached. I did not hide my unhappiness about the conversation transpiring between us. I purposely tried to make my eyes look as though they were glazed over. As much as I tried to pretend that I was in a trance, I couldn't stop my immediate reaction when she started to discuss her own experiences.

"When your father and I were young and in love," she started almost wistfully, "We—"

"Absolutely not," I interrupted, jumping up from the bed. "Regardless of what you think I may or may not be doing in my personal life, I refuse to be subjected to this cruel and unusual punishment."

"Tweet, settle down. I'm not trying to punish you. I'm only trying to inform you," Mum countered coolly.

It was at this point that I saw Sirius leaning on the wall across from my open bedroom door, an undeniable smirk on his face. My face immediately flamed red from a combination of embarrassment and anger. Is he some sort of awkward situation magnet?

"Hormones are nothing to be ashamed of, Robin," my mother said, putting her hand on my knee and taking my attention away from the annoyingly handsome boy listening in on possibly one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life.

"My hormones are quite under control, thanks," I snapped.

I heard a distinctive snort from the hall. When my eyes shot up to send him a glare, Sirius was gone.

"One time in school, your father took me to the Astronomy Tower on a date," Mum plowed on, ignoring me.

"Please, no," I begged, jumping up from the bed. "I think it's been a really good talk, Mum. We really shouldn't do any more unnecessary scarring."

"Hormones are tricky things, and I just want you to know what can happen. Robin, we conceived your brother that night," she said seriously.

I gave her a look of horror. Was she not aware that this was way more information than I cared to ever know about her youth?

My expression must have confused her because she tried to further explain. "John is a bastard," she clarified.

In my defense, she had terrible wording. There was really no need for her to clarify her first statement by calling John a bastard, thus I cannot be held responsible for the hysterical laughter that followed her anecdote.

"A bastard is a child born out of wedlock," she explained, clearly under the impression that I was unaware of the definition.

"I know, Mum," I said, trying to repress my laughter.

I burst into fresh peals of laughter, though. She was making it worse with every comment and clarification that came out of her mouth.

"Robin, it's the proper term. Don't be childish," she said impatiently.

When I continued to guffaw uncontrollably, she became extremely irritated.

"Unplanned pregnancy is nothing to laugh about," she snapped heatedly.

"You just called John, the obvious favorite, a bastard!" I laughed. "How am I not supposed to laugh at that?"

Apparently that was unacceptable reasoning because she promptly left me to laugh by myself. Even though Mum was thoroughly pissed at me, I still felt that it was worth it. I would most likely never hear her call my brother a bastard again, and I planned on relishing every moment of this one special occasion. She had said what I have been thinking for years.

"Don't be jealous that I got disowned," I said smugly.

"While you were being left alone, I got the tongue lashing of a century if you didn't notice," James said bitterly. "I don't see why it's my fault."

Lunch had been a blissfully quiet event for me. Being disowned by Esther certainly has its perks. While I was being purposely ignored, Esther decided to make James her victim. In her eyes, he was just as guilty as both Sirius and me.

"It's your fault because you brought me into the house," Sirius reminded him happily, shooting me a quick wink that made my stomach do a little flip.

"Yes, well I'm not the one who supposedly deflowered her!" James argued, triggering a shudder reaction.

"I can't be held responsible, remember? How exactly did she word it again?" Sirius pondered.

"I believe she called you 'a moral-less scoundrel with an insatiable sex drive,'" I offered.

"Yes, that's it! So you see, Prongs, you're really just as guilty as Robin and me," he said happily, pulling his wand out of his pocket and twirling it around in his hands.

"Whose side are you on, Padfoot?" James questioned, fiercely snatching the wand from his friend's hands.

"Hers," he responded easily, reclaiming his wand from a slightly offended James. "She got me a better present."

James glared at him, but Sirius simply shrugged.

"ENOUGH!"

I looked up from my book to see three ferrets scurrying out of the kitchen with my frazzled Aunt Maggie closely behind, waving her wand menacingly.

"And stay out!" she bellowed, sending a spray of sparks after the ferrets.

"You know," James said casually, appearing behind my chair, "I really think that it's time we do something about Lawrence and his tribe."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing?" I asked skeptically.

"I think it's time that Lawrence and his family get to experience real freedom," he responded vaguely. "Weasels aren't meant to be dressed up and photographed for Christmas cards. We'd be doing them a favor really."

I couldn't help but grin.

"My room in five minutes," he whispered conspiratorially before briskly walking up the stairs.

When I walked into James's room, Sirius and he were standing in front of a large bulletin board that was mostly empty except for a holiday card featuring a weasel Father Christmas. They both stared at me when I knocked on the door lightly.

"Robin, you take the back door by the kitchen," James ordered gruffly.

"Okay, what are we doing? Do I need my wand?" I asked.

"No," James answered, shaking his head. "We're just opening doors."

I was immediately confused, and apparently Sirius felt the same way. James and I had definitely discussed simply opening doors to let them escape before, but that certainly could not be his grand plan. It was completely idiotic.

"Are you serious?" I gaped.

"No, he is," James responded tonelessly, pointing at Sirius, who rolled his eyes.

"All right, that was a terrible joke, but this plan is even worse," I said irritably.

"What's wrong with my plan?" James snapped defensively.

"What isn't wrong with it?" I countered.

"Robin, I know what I'm doing. I have had more detentions in my life than I can even count, so I think I can handle a few ferrets," he scoffed.

"I'm sorry, mate, but I've got to side with her on this one," Sirius spoke up. "This plan is terrible."

"Was her gift really that much better than mine?" James questioned impatiently.

Sirius ignored his question. "There's no guarantee that Lawrence or any of the other ferrets will go through the door."

"They will if something is chasing them," James said, staring meaningfully at Sirius.

The two boys stared at each other for a long time, obviously having some sort of silent argument that I was not a part of or meant to understand. Just as I was about to ask what was going on, Sirius broke eye contact.

"Stations!" James cried, grinning triumphantly as he ushered everyone out of the room.

I resumed my seat in the sitting room and propped open my book again. I didn't read, though. Instead, I stared fixedly at the door that was hanging half way open. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. How could this plan possibly work? Wouldn't everyone notice the open doors? There's no way the doors will be open long enough for the ferrets to find their path to freedom. My stomach sank when I heard footsteps followed by a heavy sigh. There goes one door…

"What are all these doors doing open?" Aunt Maggie muttered to herself, putting a hand on the door knob.

She barely got the words out of her mouth before a loud crash resounded upstairs. Immediately, her attention was drawn to the top of the stairs. Within seconds, a large black dog came barreling down the steps, teeth snapping at the heels of a duo of ferrets. Aunt Maggie let out a gasp, and flung the door open in hopes that the scuffle would be directed outside. As predicted, the dog herded the weasels outside. The dog chased the ferrets into the woods behind the house, its barking echoing long after it was out of view.

"What the hell was that?" John asked loudly from the other side of the room.

I felt just as dumbfounded as he, but I quickly retorted, "A dog. Haven't you ever seen one?"

He sneered at me. "Very funny, Robin. How did it get in here?"

"Probably all the open doors," Aunt Maggie said, leaning against the closed door. "It must have smelled food and wandered in, I guess."

That was no coincidence. I didn't how they did it, but James and Sirius managed to make the ferret extraction a success with that dog. Where they got the dog or how they managed to make it sniff out the weasels was a complete mystery to me.

"What was all the ruckus about, Agatha?" Esther yelled, hobbling over from the dining room.

Aunt Maggie's face immediately blanched. She was going to have to break the news to Aunt Esther that Lawrence and Louise had been run out of the house by a stray dog. Knowing what was coming next, John and I both swiftly made our exit. I gave Aunt Maggie a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as I passed and tried to ignore the helpless expression on her face.

I walked quietly to the foot of the stairs, hoping that I wouldn't draw attention to myself. The last thing I needed was one of Aunt Esther's remaining furry minions launching a late night assault on me. I just wanted to find James and Sirius, as they had mysteriously disappeared after Louise and Lawrence had been chased into the woods.

When I stepped into the sitting room, the only sound that greeted me was the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. I stood silently and watched the second hand dutifully move around the face of the clock, announcing every move with a dull tick. I wondered dully how they had pulled off the dog chase earlier, but I found myself more intrigued with the clock at this point. I decided to credit that to tiredness.

After Aunt Maggie had broken the news to Esther, all hell broke loose. Dinner plans had been abandoned and replaced by a search through the woods for the ferrets. Although the plan to get rid of the ferrets seemed to work brilliantly at first, it completely back-fired when we had to spend hours wandering around in the woods searching for the stupid weasels. However, the hunt was half-hearted at best. The only person who sincerely looked for Lawrence and Louise was Clara. Despite our lack of success, we spent the evening combing the woods for the weasels.

"Happy Christmas, Robin!" I muttered bitterly to myself.

My breath caught in my throat, and I jumped when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Joining my breath, my heart leapt into my throat when I saw Sirius leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and hair covering one gray eye. He stared at me, unblinking and intense. I felt the blood rush to my face.

"How did you guys do it?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Did you get my gift?" he inquired, ignoring my question.

My left hand instinctively grabbed my right wrist. After the ferret debacle, I had found a small box at the foot of my bed. A silver bracelet with a small dog charm was inside along with a piece of parchment with the words "You can take this dog to Hogwarts" scrawled in smeared ink. I was surprised that Sirius had remembered our conversation in the kitchen about the origin of Dog's name. The memory instantly let loose a barrage of butterflies in my stomach. I looked at Sirius and saw that he had a lopsided grin on his face; he had noticed that I was touching my bracelet.

"Yes," I choked out. "Thanks, it's great."

My mouth immediately felt dry, and I felt like my heart was beating so loudly that it would wake everyone in the house. I was finally alone with Sirius, and now I was so nervous that I thought I could spontaneously burst into tears or laughter. It was a most unsettling feeling. Even though I was staring intently at my feet, I could still feel his burning gaze on me. I tried to reason with my body, offering to trade anything for some cool confidence.

"Robin."

I looked up immediately, startled by the sound of my name. I felt like I was tricked. Our eyes locked, and I felt like I was in some sort of nerve-induced trance. Not sure whether my face was flaming red or ghostly white, I turned my gaze back to the grandfather clock and looked at the moving hands again for reassurance.

"I should really get some sleep. It's been a long day," I suddenly said.

The voice that came out of my mouth startled me. It didn't sound like my words, and I could scarcely remember thinking about the words before they came out of my mouth. I shook my head and hoped this weird out of body feeling would dissipate as soon as I was away from Sirius's intense presence.

As soon as I moved towards the door, he stood straight and blocked my exit. I stopped short, only inches from him. For a few agonizingly long moments, I stared at his black shirt and refused to meet his gaze. My heart, which felt like it was going to beat out of my chest only minutes ago, suddenly slowed. I took a deep breath to calm myself and finally looked up.

Just as I had expected, Sirius had been waiting for me to look up. Our noses barely touched, and I could feel his hot breath. I was surprised at how quickly he seemed to be breathing. Almost immediately, my body seemed to react to his, and my breathing quickened. I closed my eyes when he brought his hand up to my face and pushed my hair away. My heart suddenly felt like it was coming to a stand-still when he took a small step, closing the small distance between us. Our lips barely touched before we both jumped back as if shocked.

"Oy! Padfoot, are you down here?" James whispered loudly.

James was clearly surprised to find the two of us together. Noting my flushed face and Sirius's overly casual air, James deduced that he had interrupted something.

"Er, sorry if I, um," James muttered uncomfortably.

"No, not at all," I said loudly, surprised once again at my own voice.

"Yeah, mate, we were just, er, talking. It was nothing," Sirius added quickly.

I couldn't help but wince when he said that. I was sharply reminded of our night in the kitchens again, only the memory wasn't so fond this time. To insinuate that anything more than casual friendship could spark between us is ludicrous to him. I started to wonder if I had imagined the last five minutes of my life.

James looked from Sirius to me. The tension in the room was palpable. However, I decided to bring the awkward situation to end. I bid them both good night and walked briskly past Sirius. He stood as still as a statue, seeming to be suddenly and briefly lifeless, unmoving and unbreathing.

I softly closed my bedroom door behind me, took a deep breath, and stared at my wrist. I flicked the small charm on the bracelet mindlessly. Was there something or nothing between us?

**A/N-** Thank you so much for all the reviews over the past year! I'm sorry for my terrible updating habits, and I'm especially sorry that I took extra-long to get this chapter finished. It literally took me three weeks to produce this short chapter that I'm only semi-pleased with. The next chapter will be easier to get finished because I was thinking about it the whole time I was trying to write this one! I apologize for any errors, as I am sure there are some because I sort of rushed to finish this. Thank you again for all the reviews on the last chapter. Hopefully you can find it in your hearts to review again, haha! And it'll be back to Hogwarts in the next chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer****-** I own nothing

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it more than you know!**

Chapter 15-

"Have either of you seen my boots?" Cathy asked accusingly, suspiciously eyeing up Emma and me.

"What boots?" Emma returned innocently.

Cathy heaved a frustrated sigh and swept out of the room. Ahh, it was good to be back at Hogwarts again.

"Plausible deniability," Emma smiled, plopping on to her bed.

"Personally, I think it's even now. She took your sweaters, I destroyed her boots," I remarked thoughtfully.

"Speaking of sweaters, did you actively search for the most hideous sweater in the wizarding world, or was it just a happy coincidence that my Christmas gift was a complete abomination?" Emma questioned casually.

"In my defense, James picked it," I said, holding up my hands.

"Why the bloody hell would you let him pick it?" she asked in disbelief. "I needed a sweater I could actually wear in public."

"I'm sorry, but he felt very strongly about that sweater. It almost turned into a duel, and let's face it, Emma, I wouldn't have stood a chance against James," I offered pathetically.

"So you sacrificed my Christmas gift to save your own sorry arse?" Emma clarified.

"Er, yes," I mumbled.

"You owe me," she said, pointing an accusing finger at me.

"Can I give my debt to James? I mean, technically, this is his fault," I tried lamely, earning a steely glare from Emma.

"Remember _this_," she growled, holding up the hippogriff sweater, "the next time you think about waking me up to go on a Dog hunt in the middle of the night."

"It's really not that—" I started.

"Yes, it is," she cut me off. Within seconds, Dog was on Emma's bed, sniffing the sweater.

"Dog," I said threateningly. "That's not for eating."

"Yes, it is. You barmy cat can have this one," Emma said, throwing the sweater in front of Dog.

However, the sweater didn't seem to appeal to Dog. She sniffed it, took a few nibbles to test it, then walked away with an indifferent flick of her tail. She opted to settled for a crumpled up piece of parchment instead.

"Look, even your lunatic cat doesn't like it," Emma moaned. "It's so ugly Dog doesn't even want to eat it. I've never seen that cat display discriminative taste."

"Maybe it's the material," I shrugged.

"Or maybe it's the sweater's hideous appearance," she replied tonelessly, staring at the sweater sadly.

"At least you have something left," I pointed out. "When Lawrence and Louise finally reappeared at the house, the little weasels ate all my holiday sweets and made a nest out of my new mittens and sweater. Magic couldn't even repair the damage."

"When you say mittens, I really hope you don't mean the new mittens I got you for Christmas," she remarked, a threatening tone in her voice.

"No, of course not; they were my, um, other new mittens that were not the new mittens you got me," I answered, trying to sound casual.

"Really? Where are the mittens I got you, Robin?" Emma questioned, giving me an unamused stare.

"Emma, is this really necessary? I have them, but I'm not sure exactly where they are. No need for an interrogation," I retorted.

My friend glared at me, certain that I was lying. She looked as though she would set an entire village on fire. Despite the fact that my belongings often get destroyed by my cat, Emma continues to buy nice things for me and then has the audacity to be offended and upset when something happens to whatever gift she bought me.

"Robin, I can't—"

"Would you look at the time? I have Prefect duties!" I said suddenly, interrupting her.

"I know where you sleep at night, Robin!" Emma called after me.

"Did you finish your Potions essay?" Emma asked as she filled her dinner plate.

"Absolutely not," I answered. "I haven't even found a piece of parchment to write it on. I think Dog may have decided to eat all my parchment since your sweater was unsatisfactory."

Emma grumbled to herself as she started to eat her dinner. She pulled out a piece of parchment and began to scribble down the introduction for her essay. Having eaten half of her own filled plate, she stared at me warily as I picked absentmindedly at a roll.

"Why aren't you eating?" she questioned. "You're not going to go on another vomit spree or anything, are you?"

"No, I'm fine, just not very hungry," I lied.

In truth, my stomach had been twisting and untwisting itself since Christmas. I went from mildly giddy to nauseous depending on what part of that night I thought about. While I almost-sort of-halfway kissed Sirius Black, he promptly assured my cousin that absolutely nothing was going on between us. The more I thought about Sirius, the more I touched the bracelet on my wrist. It was becoming a habit. Every time I started to think about Sirius, I started to touch the bracelet as if to make sure it was really there. The bracelet served as a reminder that everything that had happened that night was real and not just a lovesick delusion I concocted in my head.

"Stop doing that," Emma snapped. "Ever since we got back to school yesterday, you keep spacing out and playing with that bracelet."

"Oh," I mumbled distractedly, dropping my hand and letting my sleeve slide down over the bracelet. "Sorry."

"Is that new? I don't think I've seen it before," she remarked as she nonchalantly dropped a pork chop on my plate.

"Yeah, a Christmas gift actually," I answered, pushing the food to the opposite side of my plate.

"From who?"

"Sirius," I responded, causing a mixture of emotions to flare up in the pit of my stomach like a fire.

Emma grinned widely at me. "So that's why you're acting so weird. Did something happen over the holidays between the two of you?"

It was at that moment that I heard the distinctively heavy footsteps of the furious Captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, his uniform dripping from a late practice in freezing rain.

"Robin, I don't know what you did, but you have spurred conflict among my players," James said irritably, squeezing in between Emma and me. "Fix it!"

"I've done nothing. I don't know what you're talking about even, James!" I shot back defensively.

"Then explain to me why your brother and my best mate spent the entire practice snapping at each other and acting like uncooperative gits," James snapped. "Our match against Ravenclaw is next week. I can't have my best beater aiming all the bludgers at our own keeper!"

"Good job, Robin," Emma said enthusiastically. "Ravenclaw might actually stand a chance at winning the Cup this year!"

James glowered at her, but she simply beamed back at him.

"I'm sorry, James, but I have no idea what the problem is. I don't see why I have to be part of the problem. John and Sirius are perfectly capable of having their own disagreements. Besides, John's a wanker and probably did something to deserve it," I spoke up, causing James to glower at me instead of Emma.

"Fix it," he said with a tone of finality.

James got up and proceeded to storm out of the Great Hall, leaving a trail of water behind him like a swamp monster. Emma mopped up the water on the bench where he had been sitting and then scooted back beside me, her sunny grin still in place.

"I'm beginning to think you lied to me when you said your holiday break was just okay," she said happily. "There's really no use in trying to keep it from me, Robin. Give it up and spill."

"I can't believe you neglected to tell me all of this," she said in disbelief.

I stared at my friend as she sat cross-legged on her bed, a wide grin on her face.

"It's nothing," I shrugged, spinning the bracelet around on my wrist.

"Nothing?" Emma crowed. "Are you blind, Robin? You've got him! Sirius Black has fallen for you! I mean 'hook-line-and-sinker' fallen for you!"

"Emma, every time it's even insinuated that we could be dating, Sirius immediately waves off that notion. If he really has fallen for me, why did he say that?" I asked miserably.

"Oh, stop having a pity party for yourself, Robin. You're over-analyzing this. What would you say if you got caught unexpectedly by your best mate while you were getting cozy with his cousin?" she reasoned.

I sighed. "It's only James, he wouldn't care. Maybe—"

I stopped midsentence as it sank in.

"What?" Emma asked impatiently.

"John. That's what is going on! John must have seen our almost-kiss or something. Oh bugger, I am the root of the conflict on the Gryffindor quidditch team. Bugger. That has to be it, but I don't know why John is acting like a wanker about it. John doesn't even like me," I rambled. "Why is he always such a wanker?"

"Er," Emma started uncertainly.

"I bet he's just using me as an excuse to act like a wanker. It's not even like he pretends to like me. John clearly favors Clara, and often makes it obvious that he dislikes me. We're like oil and water, but that's mostly just because he's a wanker," I continued hurriedly. "Honestly, what kind of brother dates his sister's nemesis, a girl who is trying to murder his sister's cat? Just dating Cathy proves that not only is he a wanker but an insensitive, soul-less git who supports the demise of my cat!"

"Why don't you just talk to John about it?" Emma offered. "He might actually care more about you than he lets on."

I sat on the stone floor outside of the Gryffindor common room. I was hoping that my brother would waltz out of Gryffindor tower shortly after I arrived, but it didn't quite happen like that. Instead, I arrived and paced back and forth angrily for about ten minutes. When he didn't appear, I sat on the cold floor and both my body and temper started to cool off. It's a little frustrating that I'm losing my anger while sitting here.

"Do you need something, Robin?" Remus asked cheerfully, appearing from around the corner with a book under his arm.

"Could you tell John I need to talk to him?" I questioned. "I've been waiting around for him for about twenty minutes now.

"John isn't up here. I think he's still in the infirmary," he responded.

"Infirmary?" I repeated.

"I believe James said he took a rogue bludger to the stomach during practice. Madam Pomfrey should have him fixed up in no time, though," Remus said innocently.

"And by rogue bludger, you mean a bludger Sirius purposely aimed at him," I clarified.

"Perhaps," he smiled. "I take it that you know about inner turmoil on the Gryffindor quidditch team, then?"

"Perhaps," I answered smartly, waving at him as I walked away in the direction of the infirmary. "Thanks for your help, Remus."

The hospital wing was dimly lit when I entered. John was the room's only occupant, and I swiftly made my way over to the side of his bed without being noticed by Madam Pomfrey, who was otherwise occupied in her office.

"Hello," I greeted awkwardly.

"Hi, Robin," John said blankly.

"So I heard you got hurt at practice, and I—"

"Robin," he cut me off, "I know why you're here. This doesn't concern you, though. You can leave."

I stared at John, but he refused to meet my gaze. Instead, he pointedly stared at the window across the room.

"I think you're lying," I commented, sitting on the end of bed. "Why were Sirius and you fighting?"

He finally met my gaze and frowned at me. "You wouldn't even be here if Sirius Black wasn't involved in the situation," John said matter-of-factly.

I immediately felt a surge of guilt. Of course I wouldn't have checked on John if it hadn't been Sirius that hit the bludger at him. It wasn't a big secret that John and I didn't really see eye to eye. It was a classic case of sibling rivalry spurred by the tendency of our parents to favor John and ignore me. Even in our childhood, John made it abundantly clear to me that I was nothing but an annoyance to him. Needless to say, it didn't really spark a deep brother-sister bond between us.

"You're right," I agreed honestly and cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Good to know," he remarked dryly. "I suppose James told you to come talk to me, get me to leave Sirius alone. If either of you failed to notice, _he_ was the one that hit the bludger at _me_."

I looked down at my hands miserably. I came here to berate my brother, and now I was suddenly feeling kind of bad for him.

"He just told me to fix it," I muttered.

"Fix what?" John laughed. "My ribs? Madam Pomfrey already took care of that."

It was obvious that whatever disagreement John and Sirius had did not concern me in any way. If John was even somewhat worried about me, he surely didn't show it. Emma was quite wrong when she thought that John cared.

"Well, I'm glad that's taken care of because whatever else is broken here can't be fixed," I announced, giving him a hard look.

"You can leave now," he said stiffly, promptly turning his gaze back to the window.

I sat on the edge of his bed a few moments longer before walking away, defeated and dejected. Why do I have the biggest wanker for a brother?

Emma looked at me at breakfast with a look of worry. She had deduced from my attitude last night that things hadn't gone well with John. When she attempted to put food on my plate, I simply pushed the entire plate away and left the Great Hall. The Charms room would still be empty at this time.

I sat in my seat and stared blankly at board at the front of the room. Instructions and notes for today's lesson were already neatly written on the board, but instead of copying the words down, I opted to spin my quill around absentmindedly. I hardly noticed or cared when Sirius sat down next to me. We were silent for a while before he spoke up.

"Is John okay?" he asked uncomfortably, folding his hands on the desk.

"I wouldn't know. He kicked me out of the hospital wing a few minutes after I got there," I answered blankly.

"Oh," Sirius said softly.

"Since my brother won't really talk to me, would you like to explain what happened?" I inquired.

He leaned back in his chair and balanced on the chair's back legs. His arms stretched out behind him grandly, and he sighed loudly before letting the chair crash back down on to all four legs. I stared at him expectantly.

"John was acting like a wanker, as per usual. He started making some rude comments and that's when the disagreement sprung up between us," he answered vaguely.

"Thank you, Captain Cryptic," I said sarcastically. "Care to elaborate?"

"I told him he was being a wanker, and he didn't take too kindly to it," Sirius added.

"So then you hit him in the stomach with a bludger? That doesn't explain anything, Sirius," I said impatiently.

"He said some rude things about Emma and when I defended her, he acted like a real prat and said I was only standing up for her because I was trying to get into your knickers. That's when I hit him in the stomach with a bludger," Sirius clarified, giving me a strained smile.

I immediately felt my old anger bubble up again.

"What'd he say about Emma?" I questioned, not really wanting to know the answer.

"He said a lot of things, but the gist of it was that he thought it was embarrassing that she, or at least someone like her, fancied him," he said.

"I can't believe I let him make me feel bad," I said in disbelief. "I should hex that wanker as soon as he walks through the door."

"No need," Sirius smiled. "I think I covered that with the bludger."

I let out a short laugh and nodded in agreement, letting my hair fall over my face. "Yeah, I think you're right."

He grinned at me, and the butterflies that had been laying dormant suddenly swirled into action and resumed their usual place happily fluttering around in my stomach. Sirius reached out to push the hair out of my face, the brush of his finger leaving a tingling trail across my cheek. His hand lingered for just a second before Professor Flitwick entered the room.

"Mr. Black," Flitwick exclaimed. "You're early."

Sirius smiled. "Stranger things have been known to happen."

I bit my lip and tried to hold back my smile as Sirius squeezed my hand, entwining his fingers with mine before he got up and joined Remus and Peter, who were loitering outside the classroom and discussing something secretive.

Sometimes I forget how annoying Jake Addams is, but he never fails to remind me every chance he gets. We had barely been on patrol together for ten minutes before I faked chasing a first year student out of bed after hours. He literally applauded my enthusiasm and initiative as I was sprinting away from him. I found it mildly ironic that he cheered me ditching him.

Like usual, James seemed to sniff me out and join me on my patrol. Even though we were walking around the corridors together, he remained uncharacteristically silent. I didn't mind for the first twenty minutes, but then the tension that had been building steadily with every silent second seemed to weigh a hundred tons.

"All right," James finally burst out. "It wasn't your fault. I thought they were fighting because of you, but it was because John was being excessively obnoxious and making rude remarks. Of course, you were still a factor but not the root of the problem."

"If that was an apology, I accept it," I said unsurely.

"It would have been fine if John hadn't of made that comment about you to Sirius," James sighed. "If he would have kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't have had a bludger in his stomach. But no, John had to be a git about it."

"He can't help that he's a wanker," I commented, slinging my arm around his shoulder. "And really, James, it was absolutely ludicrous of you to think John would care that much about me. I didn't think you were naïve enough to think that."

"But you did, didn't you?" he stated simply.

I smiled wryly. "Of course. With Emma's encouragement, I like to pretend John has normal human emotions sometimes. He always manages to disappoint me, though. I should have expected it. Despite overwhelming evidence, he still thinks I am an annoying lunatic even though attempts are made almost weekly on my cat's life. He just doesn't care."

"Ah, yes, Cathy the cat abuser." James let out a loud laugh. "You have to admit that it sounds more like conspiracy theory than something supported by concrete evidence."

"Just wait, Cathy will reveal her true cat-abusing colors for all the world to see soon enough," I assured him.

"Fair enough," he assented. "I'll see you around, Robin"

And just as quickly as he had appeared, James slipped away into the dark corridors without a sound.

The next morning on my way to the Great Hall, I was unexpectedly grabbed from behind and pulled into an empty classroom. I tried to pull away from my attacker, but he was stronger. I was immediately released after I swiftly elbowed him in the ribs. I was shocked to see my brother crumple to the floor with his hand on his ribs.

"I forgot you throw elbows," he groaned, trying to push himself up from the floor.

"What are you trying to do, John? Scare me half to death?" I snapped.

"I was trying to apologize," he bit back.

"And that required you to sneak attack me and pull me into an empty classroom?" I asked heatedly.

"I didn't think you would talk to me if I tried to apologize. I thought you would just walk away from me," he said, sounding sort of pathetic. "You seemed sort of upset when you left the other night."

"What an astute observation," I said sardonically. "And what exactly are you apologizing for? Dating a cat abusing wench who likes to make my life miserable, insulting my best friend, being rude to me, or being a wanker in general?"

"I suppose all of it," he replied heavily. "I shouldn't have been so rude to you the other night, but I was in a rotten mood because Cathy dumped me for some sixth year Slytherin git. I don't know why I said those things about Emma, but that might just be because I'm a wanker, as you so kindly pointed out."

"Fine," I said calmly. "Apology accepted, but only because you already received adequate punishment courtesy of Sirius Black."

I was startled when John suddenly hugged me. I stood there awkwardly in my brother's embrace because I was debating on whether he had gone completely mental or if he was bewitched. Finally, I gave him a couple pats on the back to signal that the hug could end and our brother-sister bond had been returned to its normal state.

"I should probably also apologize for searching for Lawrence and Louise for an extra two days for the sole purpose of locking them in your room to eat all your holiday candy," he said hurriedly before breaking off the hug.

My mouth dropped open, and then he gave me an apologetic smile as he slipped out the door before I had a chance to say anything else.

"He's such a wanker," I muttered.

**A/N**- Voila! A new chapter that you didn't even have to wait a year for! Sorry it wasn't particularly humorous; it was primarily to build a bit on John's character and add tension for upcoming events. On a somewhat random note, I saw that the site has changed some of the formatting on my text (I had to use to get my old chapters on to my new laptop), and I apologize if all the breaks have disappeared and made the story harder to follow. As I was mapping out the next chapters, I also realized that there are only about two more chapters left, so brace yourselves for the end of this 3 and ½ year long journey. However, the last chapters will be filled with Sirius, and that'll be nice. I've also been playing around with the idea of either writing a few one-shots for this story to be posted separately or a long epilogue, but I'm not sure if I will do one, the other, or neither. If you have an opinion on that, feel free to voice it. Aside from those few notices, I thank you for reading!


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